


The Hole in the Wall

by OneDarkWindow



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:38:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 54,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4628991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneDarkWindow/pseuds/OneDarkWindow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sina is a college town named after it's patron Fine Arts University, and Connie Springer works at its hottest Nightclub the "Hole in the Wall" to promote new musical artists... and you know...cook. Because it's his job. It's the best job there ever was, in his opinion.  He can support his musically inclined friends, such as the Jaegerbombs fronted by none other than Eren Jaeger himself...or singer/songwriter duo Marlowe and Hitch. He can do that AND bbq an entire pig for their biggest opening event of the season. All good things! All fun times! And then he meets Sasha, an enigmatic songstress from the south, and his life gets even more interesting. </p><p>[Modern College AU-- lots of ridiculous fun. And rude language. Springles, future Jearmin. And possibly other ones because I just never know what crap these characters are gonna pull. ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pit BBQ and Jaegerbombs

**Author's Note:**

> So, my friends and I challenged each other to sit down and write whatever fanfiction came out of us, and we weren't allowed to leave the basement until we hit a stopping point. I had intended to write a one shot fic, but this definitely needs more chapters. It's something different than my usual, because it's a challenge, lol. Who knows what this thing will turn into; but I have some ideas. :D 
> 
> This fic was definitely a reprieve from Feather Fall, but I'll get that new chapter out soon. :)

It was a non-descript drinking establishment by day, but by night it was the hottest music venue around and Connie loved working there. The owner of this grey painted brick establishment, Hanji Zoe, had a real peculiar sense of humor about life and decided to dub the place “The Hole in the Wall” because that’s exactly what it was.

 

Sina was a college town named for the University that dominated the day to day operations of just about everything. The seasons were measured in two distinct halves: beach season and study season, with a couple of transition weeks in the middle. During exam periods and especially tense sporting events, the local religious establishments saw an increase in attendance. During study season, retail stores often saw a rise in sales around the holidays when students would prepare to head home for their winter break. Beach season was time for tourists until the leaves began to change, but all in all it was a quiet town.

 

The only constant thing was the steady supply of liquor and music that Zoe was happy to provide. Connie had spent two seasons working as a line cook and part time band manager for some of his school friends. He kept his hair short to keep it out of the food, but long days at the beach had tanned and toned him so that he could double as a bouncer if he wanted to despite his short stature. Friday night was always his favorite night to be working, because all of the local bands would compete together to the crowd’s delight and benefit. It was a good place to get a musical career started in this town if you landed a slot on Friday night, and Connie had a trained ear for talent.

 

Sina University was good for a lot of things than just commerce; it had one of the finest and most innovative music programs around. It had been one of the few to accept and integrate rap and hip hop into its teaching curriculum as a viable genre and welcomed electronic advancement in addition to the classical training available elsewhere. It was, frankly, hard as shit to get into the program without a stellar audition and three hairs from a unicorn’s back… or the richest parents the world could provide. The only thing schools who emphasize the arts tend to struggle with is marketability, and Sina was no exception. Often, it was left to other venues to help rising artists figure out how to make their name.

 

Needless to say, the Hole in the Wall saw a lot of gifted musicians pass through its doors and grace its stage and tonight was themed Fresh Meat for newcomers to try their skill and have a little time under the stage lights. Moblit Berner was Connie’s direct manager, and was currently squabbling into his cell phone about how he had no idea how to decorate a night club in a “Fresh Meat” theme without pulling a Gaga and driving off the vegetarians for miles…and probably also violating every health code he was aware of. Barkeep Levi Ackerman was a quiet man with deliberate movements; he quietly poured the poor man a drink and slid it to him wordlessly before wiping his hands on his crisp white apron.

 

Connie was a simple man with a simple plan, and tonight meant that he would open up the BBQ pit and roast an entire pig for the occasion. BBQ was easy and it drew crowds, and crowds were exactly what they’d want to help newbie musicians run the gauntlet. Delighted by his own genius, Connie ran outside to collect the pig delivery as soon as it rolled up.

 

“Yo, Con!” Reiner Braun (rising football star, butchers son, and all around agreeable guy) lowered the back of his refrigerated truck, spilling cool air onto the sidewalk. “You all having one hell of a party tonight, huh?”

 

“You bet. Zoe’s calling it Fresh Meat night now, so you can bet we’re probably going to be in regular communication.” Connie pulled the clipboard out of Reiner’s hands and signed the invoice to receive the pig.  “You coming?”

 

“What time?” Reiner climbed into the back and began pushing the pig-covered cart slowly down the truck ramp. If Connie was a squeamish man, the sight would have made him wretch. In fact, he could imagine several of his close friends wretching at the sight right now. Bert. Historia. Probably Jean who wouldn’t hide it well and would try to blame it on Armin. But since Connie believed everything in life was funny, so too was the lumbering pig cart and the big man wheeling it down the street.

 

“Doors at 7, but I’ll get you in at 6 if you want a bite to eat early.” Connie replied, helping him push the pig into the massive smoker pit he’d prepared earlier.

 

“Hell yeah, I’ll be there. Beach is getting too cold anyway now that fall’s setting in.” Reiner wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm and grinned as he climbed back into the driver’s seat. “I’ll bring friends. Got a bunch of fresh rookies to break in anyway.”

 

“Those poor bastards.” Connie smirked. “All right, man. See you tonight.” He waved after the retreating truck and walked back inside.

 

“Oi, Springer.” Levi had his arms crossed.

 

“Yah?”

 

“Just for clarification purposes, was that a pig on a cart that you just rolled through here?” Levi deadpanned.

 

“Yes. Yes it was.”

 

“That’s all I need to know.” And with that, Levi returned to the bar. Connie began doing other prep work in the kitchen, keeping his amusement as contained as possible while Levi stole disgusted glances toward the pig smoker in the back yard.

 

A tall freckled girl walked into the kitchen and swiped a French fry as she struggled with a small pile of paperwork. They called her Ymir, which was a stage name, because she’d been able to successfully launch the careers of several recording artists while others struggled through open mic night. Her real name didn’t matter anymore as far as the industry was concerned.

 

“We’re going to have a full house tonight.” She remarked, flipping through her notebook.

 

“I know. I am preparing Pig A Palooza back here to feed the masses. Anything good?”

 

“Looks like we’ve decided to switch acts around so that we’re hearing established group, newcomer, established group, greenhorn, etc etc. I figure that way we won’t bore people to tears if one or two are duds. Jaeger’s band is always solid, and it looks like Marlowe and Hitch are bringing new material. I told them I wanted it to be big because we need the foundation rooted like a mountain tonight…so naturally Jaeger wanted to know if we could support pyrotechnics. I swear to all the dead deities, that boy. At least Mikasa is hot as hell.” Ymir sighed.

 

“You agreed to the pyro, right?”

 

“Fuck yeah, I did.”

 

“Tonight is going to be legendary.” Connie grinned and ate a French fry himself.

 

* * *

 

 

“If I have to play fucking Pachabel’s fucking Canon in D one more time I am going to stage a hostile takeover of the Cathedral, learn Necromancy from the internet, raise him from the dead, and kill him again.” Armin was in rare form tonight as he entered the bar, pulling off his rather expensive looking tux jacket. The Arlert family ran two of the town’s funeral parlors and the kid had been playing the piano for every bereaved family that crossed through their doors since he was six.

 

“Don’t let the dead people get to you, ‘Min.” Jean chimed as the tall man loaded a speaker onto a stand. They had an hour left before doors opened, so several of their regular acts arrived early to help set up.

 

“It’s not the dead people I have a problem with. They’re great. They never speak and they’re stimulating conversationally. It’s the living I can’t stand.” Armin took a seat at the bar and frowned at Levi, who was already preparing something blue and sugary for the blonde.

 

The hurricane commonly known as Hanji Zoe sidestepped into the room and rushed the bar excitedly. “Levi. Levi. Levi. Levi. LEVI.”

 

“What’s wrong, Hanji?” Levi was garnishing Armin’s drink with a Swedish Fish.

 

“Literally nothing is wrong. Everything is right. GUESS who I just heard is coming tonight because he’s in town?!” Hanji was vibrating.

 

“Bono?” Levi slid the drink to Armin.

 

“Fuck no, Levi. Erwin Fucking Smith is coming to review our talent tonight on the DL.”

 

“How on earth did you swing that?” Levi seemed suitably impressed. “He hardly has time to send a Christmas card these days. How’s he been?”

 

“Levi, never question the magic I possess. How is not important, only that it is happening.”

 

Moblit spoke up. “Well, Nile Dok is coming too so it looks like we’ll have a night of dueling agencies. I knew we should have installed padded walls. “ Levi’s eyebrows shot up.

 

“I hate that guy. Can I poison him tonight, Hanji? I promise not even the health department will find a trace.” Levi was only partially kidding.

 

“I know a place we can hide some bodies.” Armin spoke up between sips, as though this was completely normal. Awkward silence filled the room; no one was ever sure if the undertaker’s son was serious or not.

 

“Hey y’all is this where the sh-shh-show’s g-g-gonna be tonight?” A girl with long brown hair and mirrored sunglasses knocked in the doorframe. From the sound of it, she wasn’t from New England. And she was nervous. Connie put a fresh batch of French fries in the fryer.

Hanji ran over excitedly. “Helloooooo! And who do I have the pleasure of welcoming to our Hole in the Wall?”

 

“Um...I’m Sasha.” She said, shaking Hanji’s hand as it was offered. “I uh…brought mah guitar is there a place I should put it?”

 

“Well shoot, y’all! Look what the cat dragged ee-uhn.” Jean drawled. “Ain’t you just a sight fer sore eyes. You can put your gee-tar down over here and ain’t nobody gonna bother it.”

 

“This is why I prefer the company of the dead.” Armin said almost inaudibly into his glass.

 

Sasha’s smile fell a little, but she nodded to Jean anyway. “Yeah. Thanks. I guess you all play the “guitah” this “fah” up North.” She carefully set her guitar case where Jean indicated and took a seat at the bar quietly.

 

Connie chuckled. “She’s got you there, Jean. No good making fun of other people’s dialects when you’ve got an impressive one all your own.”

 

Jean sighed. “Ugh, I didn’t realize she was being serious. Now I feel like an asshole. Sorry, Sasha.”

 

“It’s fine.” Sasha pushed her sunglasses up to rest on the top of her head. Connie slid her a basket of French Fries.

 

“I didn’t order—“ she started.

 

“On the house.” He replied. “Due to Jean putting the asshole tax in effect for the evening.”

 

“Are you sure?” her voice was quieter.

 

“I don’t do takebacksies.” Connie smiled. Sasha began devouring the French Fries as if this was her first experience with food. They were gone in an impressively short span of time, which tripped a chord in Connie’s memory. Levi nearly dropped his martini shaker at the near breach of etiquette. Jean busied himself with the sound equipment so as not to make a colossal ass of himself as he was wont to do without thinking.

 

As more people began to filter in for set up, Connie took a seat next to Sasha. “So, you’re from?”

 

“Alabama.” she replied, eating the lemon off the rind from her water glass.

 

“So why’d you come all the way up here? You a leafer?” Connie asked.

 

“I don’t reckon I know what a leafer is..uh...what’d you say your name was?”

 

“Connie. A leafer is a special kind of tourist who drive out here to see the fall foliage.” He crossed his arms on the table. “You don’t seem like you’re here to sightsee.”

 

“Nah, I’m trying to chase a dream is all. Figured this was a good place to try. Lotta big names associated with this town, so I had to see what all the fuss was about.” Her stomach growled, and she crossed her legs in embarrassment.

 

“True. That intimidates a lot of people, though. What are you going to perform tonight?”

 

“If I get up the gumption I spose I’ll sing a song.” she replied, rotating her necklace around so the clasp returned to the back of her neck.

 

“You a country singer?”

 

“Ha, no. Just songs, you know? Music is so important to me, and I guess it sounds a little weird but I want to do right by it. I got my reasons.” she pushed some of her unruly bangs behind her ear, and Connie noticed that she had a light layer of freckles on her face. For some reason, she was endearing. Maybe it was the way she spoke, or maybe it was the look in her eyes when she said it, but he decided he liked this girl.

 

“I can’t wait to see what you do. Have you eaten yet? I’ve been roasting a pig all day for this occasion. You have to try it.” he grinned.

 

“Maybe.” She said. “ I mean I’d love to. I just uh...get nervous if I eat before I perform.”

“That’s alright, I’ll make sure to save you a plate for after. But if your stomach is hungry now I’ll make you a sandwich.”

 

“I don’t think I remembered my wallet.” she frowned.

 

“That’s allright. I’ll just tell Levi you’re 21.” he ribbed her gently.

 

“..but I am 21.” she protested.

 

“Then where’s the lie? Be right back.” Connie disappeared into the kitchen.

 

“Hell yeah, Eren Jaeger is in the house. Levi, my man, you know what to do.” Eren walked in the door sporting his worn leather jacket and the biggest smile his face could possibly support without getting cast in a Batman villains film. Connie turned on his heel and waited while a dark haired girl followed in on Eren’s heels. Unfailingly, Mikasa could turn every head in a room with minimum effort.

 

Levi rolled his eyes and announced. “Jagerbombs for everyone! Or at least everyone that chooses to participate in Eren’s continued rock and roll nightmare.” He began lining glasses up on the counter. It was a tradition from the moment Eren’s band had made their debut, and Sasha was startled by the mad rush everyone made to the bar...absolutely everyone included.

 

Sasha stared, wide eyed, as the decidedly mismatched group of musicians and employees destroyed a round of Jaegerbombs together.

 

“Sasha you have to do it too, or it’s BL.” Connie chimed.

 

“BL?” Sasha was confused, so Connie came over and wrote “Bad Luck” on a napkin.

 

“Don’t say it out loud. Theater superstition. Just like if you don’t drink with us we’ll have a bad night. There are exceptions, to the rule but unless you’re allergic to alcohol or something we really need you in on it.” Connie continued.

 

“Oh hi! New girl!” Eren Jaeger bounded over excitedly. “I’m Eren. That’s my housemate Mikasa. Armin’s the blonde guy at the bar in the suit...YO ARMIN. GO CHANGE”

 

“Getting to it.” Armin replied, picking up a duffel bag and heading to the backstage area.

 

“Anyway, we’re one of the regulars here. We’re called the Jaegerbombs because of my last name and some other poor life choices. I hear you’re on the schedule too, so I’m happy to work with you.” Eren offered an open hand for her to shake.

 

“Hi...nice to meetcha.” She replied, shaking it.

“Gotcha, now that’s out of the way you’ve gotta do a Jaegerbomb so we can christen tonight’s shenanigans properly.” His green eyes were full of light, and his smile was genuine. He had charisma for sure.

 

“Um. Sure. I’d be happy to.” Sasha smiled and walked to the bar. Eren began chanting her name to encourage her, and she downed the entire beverage like a pro. Eren instantly hugged her from behind and swung her around in a circle gleefully.

 

“Thanks! You’re a champ! Shit I gotta get ready too…” Eren released her when he noticed Armin poking his head out of the backstage door expectantly. “Break a leg!”

 

When she seated herself back in her chair, Connie delivered a sandwich with fries and a pickle; the first of the bbq pig. Her eyes went wide.

 

“Oh mah gosh, Con! You made me food?” She smiled.

 

“Well, that Jaegerbomb sealed it. You’re one of us now, so it’s our own northern hospitality to make sure you’re welcomed properly. Eat up.” Connie was secretly hoping that it was the best sandwich she’d ever had; that she’d savor every bite and tell him he was an incredible cook. By the time he’d finished that thought, the sandwich was gone.  It took a lot to surprise Connie Springer, but that lept the bar.

 

“And…” Jean slid a slice of chocolate cake in front of her. “I’m still sorry about the accent thing.”

 

“The good thing about Jean is that he knows when he’s activated the asshole tax, and he’ll always deliver.” Connie smiled at his friend. “But you know, that’s like the only good thing.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Is for horses.”

 

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Jean rolled his eyes and retreated to the lighting booth.

 

“You’ll never live it down!” Connie called after him.

 

“Live what down?” Sasha asked, mouth already full of cake.

 

“Oh, he was the school’s mascot for a semester in high school. The Mustangs. At least he got to be both the back and and the front end, you know?” Connie grinned while Jean glared darkly at him from the booth.

 

After that, Connie was caught in a whirlwind of activity when the doors opened. He was cooking food, listening to music, singing along when no one was listening, cutting little metal finger-horn patterns out of pie crusts...it was a good life in the kitchen that night.

 

Hanji spared no expense to support the Jaegerbombs with pyrotechnics. They were a good looking band, all things considered. Eren on drums and vocals, Mikasa on lead vocals and guitar, Jean on bass, and Armin on keyboards. They were an impressive hard rock ensemble that enjoyed covering classics, but Eren and Jean had been writing their own stuff lately. Tonight was the premiere of their newest original song, for which fireballs became a necessity. Many of their fans, whom Eren referred to as Grenades, attended shows for their once-per-set rap battles between members.

 

Connie was biased because they were his friends, but their new song was, in his opinion, ready to record. He hoped that Smith or Dok agreed, because that group worked so hard it only made sense that one day it would pay off. Connie surveyed the crowd for Sasha whenever he got a chance, hoping to gauge her reaction. Something like concern still nagged at the back of his mind for her, but her happy smile went a long way to assuage those quiet uncertainties. He checked the set list, and saw that she would be performing next, so he snuck out of the kitchen to find a seat at the bar.

 

When Hanji introduced Sasha, she hadn’t changed her clothes or her look. Her guitar was obviously a student guitar, but she held it close to her like a comfort object. It was her shoes that caught his attention; they were old and worn with holes and a broken shoelace. He’d heard of performers clinging to items they deemed lucky, but something about hers made it seem different.

 

“Hi everyone!” Sasha spoke into the microphone too closely, startling herself. “I’m v-very tickled to be here t-tonight and make some new friends. I wrote this one special for y’all so I hope you like it.”

 

There were a couple of chuckles in the crowd, so Connie clapped and whooped in support. On stage, Sasha looked in his direction in the darkness and chuckled a little. The Jaegerbombs followed Connie’s lead and cheered as well.

 

“WE LOVE YOU SASHA!” Eren yelled in a slightly feminine voice, no less earnest but definitely ridiculous.

 

“Ah love you, too.” she giggled, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes to steady herself and began playing some basic chords on her guitar. Patronizing smiles and nods began to ripple through the crowd, but were cut short when she began picking out a clear melody. The sound grew as she wove other melodies into it, becoming more complicated as she went. Connie was impressed with her technical skill (a lot of students possessed this skill), but the way she leaned into her playing as though she herself was partner to the dance was what really moved him. He thought for a while that she would continue playing as her entire act until she opened her mouth and sang.

 

This country girl who spoke with a thick southern drawl lost all traces of it when she sang, and she had the kind of voice ancient tribal people would have started wars over. Connie’s jaw dropped. Levi’s eyes widened as he leaned on the bar next to him. Sasha sang about freedom. Not the falsified Murican faux-patriotism variety, but real freedom. Escape. Potential. Real, honest to goodness freedom and the flight it offered the believer. Connie believed it. He totally bought it. He invested in it. The stunned silence of the teary eyed crowd told him that this was either a group hallucination, or they were invested too. Like a magic spell.

  
‘My god.’ Connie remembered thinking. ‘She’s an actual angel.’ 


	2. Too Many Cooks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey! You're still with me? Welcome back to the Hole in the Wall! I had no idea this would become a chaptered thing, but it seems necessary. This chapter has a couple of feels and a lot of shenanigans. More to follow of course, so stay tuned. 
> 
> Modern AU's are fun because you do your best to keep the core of the canon character but adjust them for this WHOLE NEW thing. Wee!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your comments and support! This was just intended to be a cracky fic, but I'm kindof having fun with it. :D Reminder, this fic is rated M for mature, but I don't foresee anything explicit in the future. It just isn't my style.

Following her performance, The Jaegerbombs and some of their more loyal fans flocked to Sasha’s table to congratulate her on her performance.

“So, Eren...why do ya call your fans Grenades?” Sasha asked, drinking from her water glass.

“Because apparently calling fans the “Alcoholics” is frowned upon.” Armin mumbled into his own water glass. Jean sprayed the wall with his beverage instantly, but Eren didn’t seem to hear either of them.

“Forget about me! Tell me more about you! That was incredible! I don’t think I’ve heard a voice like that in years! Er...don’t get me wrong Mika--you’ve got a killer voice too of course. Sasha has this whole other style going on.” Mikasa nodded while Eren backtracked, not remotely offended by Eren’s statements.

Sasha laughed lightly, a little uncomfortable with the attention. “Not much to tell, ah just came up this way to try my luck, you know? I’m glad y’all enjoyed the song.”

“It was remarkable, Sasha.” A tall blonde man slid a business card onto the table in front of her. “Name’s Erwin Smith, and I’m with Wingspan records. I see that tonight’s a bit busy, but I’d love to set an appointment to talk to you about future opportunities when you’re able. Say, Monday?”

Sasha stared at the business card on the table, a little flustered. Eren’s head snapped around in surprise.

“Erwin Smith?? Oh my god! You’re back! You’re amazing! I’d love to meet with you any time and talk about future opportunities!” The brunette nearly had literal stars in his eyes.

“Ah, yes. Eren Jaeger is it? Not a bad show tonight. It’s always a pleasure to watch you all perform. Are you still sticking to covers?” Erwin leaned against the bar and waved Levi down.

“Er...no tonight was all original material so--” Eren started.

“Levi! Wonderful to see you again.” Erwin smiled “I’d like a gin and tonic please with two limes.”

“I’m sure it is. How the hell’ve you been? Traveling the world?” Levi occasionally broke eye contact with him to begin preparing his drink.

“I’ve been well. Very busy, but the work is very rewarding. I’m headed to Japan next Wednesday to do some promoting there. You should come with!” Erwin was serious.

“Yeah, I’ll just ask Hanji to let me take a week off at the last minute to head to Japan. I doubt I’d need to make any preparations or anything, or get a passport.” Levi smirked.

“You still haven’t gotten your passport renewed?” Erwin frowned lightly.

“What can I say. I’ve been busy, too. Your heart’s in your work, and my heart is in mine. I think Eren is trying to speak to you.” Levi nodded toward the anxious young man behind them.

“Alright, get your passport renewed next month and I’ll take you to Japan over Christmas to make up for the lack of card you complained about. One moment, Eren. Tokyo is beautiful that time of year.” Erwin took a drink from his glass.

“How romantic.” Levi responded flatly. “Alright, let me think about it.”

“Romantic? Well ok if that’s what you want I’ll make sure to get us a jacuzzi tub.” Erwin raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, do that. In my room. What you get in your own room is up to you.” Levi countered, plopping another slice of lime into Erwin’s drink. Erwin laughed and turned his attention back to Eren.

“Alright Eren, what can I help you with?”

“Well...yes sir. Our material tonight was all original. I was hoping you would enjoy it! We worked very hard.” Eren spoke quickly, but his other bandmates were less inclined to push the issue and busied themselves with food. Jean was awkwardly debating where to sign a girl’s bra, and Mikasa was politely refusing marriage proposals.

“It was really good, Eren. I was very impressed! You all have certainly grown into a dynamic group. Continue writing new material that good and I’d be inclined to make you an offer the next time I’m out.” Erwin said.

“We do have a demo tape ready to go with some of our new material.” Eren offered, digging deeply into the pocket of his leather coat. “I really think you’ll like it.”

“You’re probably right. You’ve always been up to a challenge and exceed expectations. When you are ready to be promoted worldwide, it would absolutely be my pleasure to help you out. I’ll have a listen to your...is it really a tape Eren? Do people still have tape players?” Erwin said, using his best business tone.

“Well no, it’s a disc. I misspoke. Here.” Eren held out the plastic square for Erwin to take, which he accepted.

“Thank you. I’ll see where you’re at when I return before the holidays. Is that enough time to fill out an album with some original material?” Erwin turned the disc to look at the cover, which bore a hand-drawn design of two crossed wings on fire. Jean’s work, naturally.

“That’s more than enough time! Thank you, sir! We’ll be ready for the world by then for sure!” Eren was practically vibrating in place.

“I’m sure you will, Eren. Just make sure that your band shares the same dream, ok?” Erwin glanced over at them pointedly.

“Oh, we do sir. We’ll be ready.” Determination wrote itself all over Eren Jaeger’s face as he joyfully ordered another Jaegerbomb. Erwin used the opportunity to slide away from the bar to check back in with Sasha.

“So, is Monday acceptable?” He smiled gently at her.

“Um..gosh...that’s so soon. I don’t see why not. Where?” Sasha fingered the card a little, still reeling from all the attention.

“How about here, say...7pm for dinner? My treat of course.”

“Wow...that’s very kind of you. I can do that and listen to what you have to say I spose.” Sasha smiled.

Connie couldn’t help but witness the exchange from the kitchen window behind the bar. She’d just gotten into town, and he’d seen this exchange enough times to know that Erwin was set on signing a contract with her. This was a good thing, so why was he worried?

“Erwin, I see that your tastes haven’t changed much.” A dark haired man with a tousled undercut joined Sasha’s conversation. “I was really hoping to put a good word in with this artist, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a voice like that. Sasha, my name is Nile Dok, and I will do literally anything to offer you a contract with my record label.” he offered her a handshake, which she accepted firmly.

“Oh mah gawd, really? That’s crazy! Y’all only heard me sing once and now you’re offering me literally anything? Wow. I must be dead and gone to heaven or somethin’.” Her dialect grew thicker with her excitement. Nile raised an eyebrow, and handed her a card.

“All I ask is that if you meet with Erwin, don’t sign anything until you’ve heard my offer too. Just a word of industry advice; don’t take the first offer you receive just because it’s the first one. Review those terms and make sure it fits your lifestyle.” he continued.

“Regrettably, Nile is right. I’m confident that you will find our agency to be a much better fit for singer songwriters such as yourself, but if you’re interested in marketing an image more, then I suppose Mr. Dok has a thing or two he might offer. If he offers to share his fashion sense, my ‘industry advice’ would be to politely decline.” Erwin countered.

“Lunch Tuesday? My treat.” Nile offered Sasha, ignoring the veiled insult.

“Um. Where?” she asked, clearly overwhelmed. Nile pulled out a pen and wrote a seafood restaurant’s name on the back along with an address. He smiled at her. “I know this is pretty sudden and a lot of change very quickly can be overwhelming. I’m a family man myself, so I’m quite patient. Don’t feel pressured to attend if you don’t want to, but you’d make an excellent role model for my oldest girl.” Sasha’s face turned a deep red. Connie took action.

“Alright you vultures, give the girl some space.” Connie joked. “She just got off the stage and she’s gonna need some air, okay? Order up.” He slid another plate of food in front of her and replenished her coke.

“Connie!” Erwin turned his attention from Sasha to the short cook. “My table is over there; would you mind bringing me another sandwich and a slice of Kirstein’s cake? I swear the quality of the food has improved exponentially since you’ve been working here.”

“Well, Erwin, I am a goddamned genius so that’s to be expected.” Connie grinned and gestured towards Erwin’s table. “You too, Dok. I’m sure you two have lots to catch up on. I’ll bring your food right around.” As Erwin and Nile retreated to their tables, bringing drinks along, Connie winked at Sasha. She mouthed a silent “thank you” to him and ate the sandwich more slowly this time.

* * *

 

Hitch really knew her way around a violin; she could walk, sing, even dance while playing the instrument without skipping a beat. Marlowe loved to sing, which no one expected until they’d heard him perform, but a lot of his passion went into the piano. Everyone always assumed that the two were dating, but Marlowe never confirmed nor denied it. Armin always figured they were going for White Stripes ambiguity in that regard, but he did enjoy listening to them. He’d found himself a nook away from Eren and his crowd to have a brain break and enjoy the slightly Celtic flavor of the onstage duo.

“So you think Eren is going to convince him to sign us this time?” Jean slid into the seat across from him, his voice low so as not to be disrespectful to the musicians.

“Mmph.” Armin turned his gaze to look at Eren and Mikasa, who were sharing a vehement discussion about something. “Dunno.”

“Just me, or do you not seem too excited about the prospect?”

“I’m in the middle of a masters in mortuary science, and applying for postdoctorate studies in pharmacology in the spring, so honestly there’s a lot on my plate to worry about.” Armin sighed. “He just wants it so badly, and I don’t know what to do. I could put it off another year maybe, or study online, but I struggle with distance learning regimens.

“Get out of town, really? You??” Jean raised his voice and corrected himself so as not to disturb the show.

“I’m sorry--you’re surprised by this? ” Armin wasn’t sure what Jean was referencing, but he couldn’t automatically assume insult. He took a guess. “ADHD just means that you learn things differently, not that you can’t or don’t learn them.”

“Well, yeah. You’re brilliant; I knew that. I had no idea you had ADHD though. And you’ve completed all that work despite it?” Jean leaned forward a little and kept his voice low.

“Oh. That. Yeah; once you figure out a coping strategy it really isn’t much different as long as you stick to it. Sticking to it is a challenge, but it’s not the end of the world. I turned out fine.” Armin replied sardonically. “Besides, what about you? Don’t your parents expect you to take on the bakery business instead of skipping town?”

Jean’s face fell a little bit. “Yeah...but it doesn’t have to be right away, you know? I could tour for a while and hire people when I’m rich and famous.”

“Please, you’d never stop baking even if you had four mansions and a team of professional chefs at your beck and call.” He smiled just a little.

“Eh...heh..yeeeah...you’re probably right. But I mean, you could do the same thing and earn a little freedom. Hire people to run the funeral home, yeah? You don’t have to be tied down to the dreams of your parents.” Jean stole a mozzarella stick out of the basket in front of them.

“Wow. Ouch. What makes you so certain that I’m tied down?” Armin tried to steal the cheese stick back from Jean, but victory fell to the tall boy with longer arms.

“For one thing, you don’t seem happy at the funeral home. Don’t get me wrong, but you’re often there and when you’re not there you’re here complaining about it or at school. Or the cove.” Jean chomped on the cheese stick.

“I’m fine. Besides, where else should I be?”

“You know you’re a bad liar.” Jean observed. “Maybe Eren doesn’t see it, but I do.”

“Just because I show you part of myself doesn’t mean it’s the truth. What cove?” Armin swirled the ice in his glass. It was a little more alcoholic than he intended. It was Jean’s turn to feel offended.

“I think I know you better than you think I do. Give me a little credit here, Armin.”

“I’ll give you credit when you answer my question. What cove?” Armin was glaring into his glass, his face gaining a blush he wasn’t surrendering to yet.

“Bert told me he sees you there sometimes when he’s out checking lobster traps, so I thought I’d investigate. It seemed a little unusual for you.” Jean chose his words carefully, knowing that he’d probably sound like a stalker if he didn’t.

“So you followed me when I was alone.” the blonde set his jaw.

“Yeah...look...I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was a big deal until you started...I dunno...screaming and crying I guess.” Jean swallowed. Armin closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“Let me try and understand. You followed me, watched me have an emotional breakdown, and chose to allow me to go on believing I was alone.”

“I did make sure you didn’t hurt yourself and that you got home safely.” Jean winced. “What else was I supposed to do? I’m awkward in situations like that and I thought it might make you feel more uncomfortable. I tend to make things worse just by opening my mouth.”

“Waitress?” Armin waved Annie over. She was a small girl with a bored expression that one might mistake for laziness, but she instinctively knew when she was needed. “Can I have another blue whatever that was, please? I’d like to forget that tonight exists and welcome in the void.”

“It’ll take more than a few ‘blue whatevers’ to do that, Arlert.” Annie replied. “I’ll bring you another, though.”

“Oh, come on ‘Min! What should I have done?” Jean stole another mozzerella stick.

“Literally anything to let me know I wasn’t alone. You have no idea how loud the silence can be and how hard it is to hear over it.” Armin kept his voice low, but couldn’t make eye contact with his friend. Instead, he opted to watch the musicians on stage. Anything would be better than this deep embarrassment. He could feel Jean’s eyes on him, searching his face.

“Alright. Tell you what. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I’ll be kidnapping you at noon.”

“I have to play until 1pm but I’ll be free when the service ends. Also what kind of kidnapper announces his kidnappings? You’re miserable at it.” Armin gratefully accepted the fresh drink Annie brought over with a half-smile.

“Not fair. I’m good at a lot of things, Arlert. I’d make an excellent kidnapper if my job was to kidnap you because you’d have absolutely no idea I was following you unless I announced it.” Jean crossed his arms.

“Touche. What will you be kidnapping me for?” Armin chanced a look at Jean’s face to see that he was wearing a small smile, which was not what he expected to see.

“Confounding the void. It’s a surprise.” Jean flashed him a winning smile, the one he usually reserved for his fans. Either Jean knew how attractive he was, or he was completely clueless and Armin had no idea which was the truth. Still, Armin was a few drinks in and decided to write off any feelings of attraction as inappropriate and simply ridiculous. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Reiner and Bert loudly attempting to convince Ymir to join them for karaoke night.

“If you say so, Jean.” he tried.

“Oh, I say so. Hey, what’s with this blue girly stuff of yours anyway. Is it any good?” Jean reached out and deftly swiped the drink out of Armin’s hand and drank a little.” Oh my god where has this been all my life?!” He stared at the glass, then handed it back to Armin.

“I don’t know. With the other girly, emasculating drinks I guess.” Armin shot him a sly look above his glass before he took another drink. If Armin’s words were his sword, his eyes were weapons also but he was completely unaware of it. It might have been Armin’s imagination, but he could swear he saw Jean’s cheeks burn a little red before responding.

“Point taken. Rock on. That shit’s awesome. Whoah...and it’s a little fast acting, too.” Jean made a face.

“Lightweight.” Armin smirked.

“Am not. Here, hand it back and I’ll prove it.”

“Not happening. Get your own.” Armin pulled his drink off the table protectively. Jean waved the waitress over again.

“...Annie! Annie Annie! I need one of Armin’s blue whatevers, please.” Jean crossed his arms.

“So do you think before you speak, or should I just finish the joke for you?” Annie tucked a menu under her arm.

“What joke?” Jean knew he’d regret asking.

“As a full sized drink, it comes in a fishbowl. So, I need you to ask me for an order of Armin’s Blue Bowls and I’ll even buy it for you. Unless you are satisfied with the smaller size.” Annie smirked.

“Oh my god.” Armin breathed. “Jean we can just share mine.”

That did it. Annie had to bite her finger to keep from roaring with laughter. “Okay, that was good enough. Oh my god, I’ll be back.” Annie retreated to the bar to share the story with Levi, leaving Jean and Armin mortified.

* * *

 

The night finally dwindled down with many new artists giving a wide range of performances and talents, but Connie decided that his favorite new act of the evening was definitely Sasha. Despite other songs having been plays throughout the evening, hers lingered as a pleasant earworm he could relate to. She sang about the truth, and he wanted to hear about the story attached to it.

He found her writing some notes at the table where he left her, her guitar occupying the seat opposite her.

“Hey.” He said simply. She stopped her writing and looked up at him.

“Oh hey, Con. Oh I just realized I’ve been callin you that and I never even asked if it were alright by you. Is that cool?”

“Oh, yeah. My friends call me that. My parents call me that when I’m not in trouble.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“What do they call ya when yer in trouble?” she questioned.

“Oh you know. Like “Constantine Matilda Springer, get your tarantula off the dinner table.” he chuckled, even though it’d been years since he’d lived with his parents. Now he just lived with Jean and Marlowe. He realized that Sasha was staring at him, biting her lip. “What??”

“Your name is Constantine Matilda?” She struggled to repeat it.

“Haha, ok no. My middle name isn’t Matilda. Good catch. It’s Rose.” he crossed his arms, fully aware that he was grinning like an idiot. She burst out laughing, bursting the dam of propriety she’d erected for now.

“OK Rose, how can I help you?” She giggled.

“Well I realized that you probably took the bus here since most of the cars in the lot were accounted for, and the buses stopped running two hours ago. I was wondering if you wanted a lift home?”

“Oh, shoot...really?” Sasha’s expression shifted from mirth to severe disappointment. “Damn. I guess I can walk.”

“You don’t have to; I’m offering you a ride.” he reminded.

“Oh. Um.” She thought for a moment. “OK sure. I guess that’d be alright. You leaving now?”

“In a few, so whenever you’re ready. I just have to take the garbage out. Kitchen’s closed for the evening, so after the garbage I’m off the clock. Levi will probably keep the bar open for another hour so he can catch up with his friends.” Connie indicated the bar with his thumb, which had Erwin, Nile, Hanji, and Mike seated at it in discussion while Levi listened intently.

“Sure. I’ll be ready soon as you’re out.” Sasha smiled, exhaustion from the day finally settling in.

A short while and a Bohemian Rhapsody singalong later, Sasha directed Connie to his own housing development and requested that he just drop her off at the entrance.

“Really? Right here? I live in that townhouse right over there, by the way. We’re practically neighbors.” He grinned, finding difficult to keep his affections  for her in check. It was admiration, really, but he couldn’t help but feel an instant connection with this girl. Some sort of bond. Thinking about it distracted him from his own questions he’d intended to ask her earlier about her songwriting.

“Neighbors, huh? That’s awesome Connie. I’ll have to stop by and visit! I like the cut of your jib.” Sasha smiled tiredly. Connie felt as though he were on the edge of a precipice about to be pushed over, and he didn’t mind at all.

“I’d like that. You were incredible tonight, Sasha. Truly incredible. I’m a fan. And if you want a pair of eyes to look over those offers you’re getting next week, I can help you go over it.” he offered.

“Would you really? Thanks so much, Con! I’ll definitely take you up on that.” Sasha let herself out of his car and collected her things. “Goodnight.” She waved to him from the sidewalk. In his mind, Connie wondered if she was hesitant about telling a guy she just met where she lived, but they seemed to get along well enough. Still, it was a college town and a lot of new students were arriving this week, the disposition of whom was an unknown.

“You sure you don’t want me to walk you to your door? There can be creepers around the first week of school or so.” he tried.

“I appreciate that a lot, Con. I’m alright though. I’m stronger than I look.” she smiled and flexed a bicep.

“Alright, well here’s my number if you need anything.” Connie passed her his business card through the window.

“Band manager.” She read. “This town really is chockful, isn’t it?”  Connie shrugged. “It’s what you were looking for though, right?”

She nodded.

“Night, Con.” She smiled and walked down the sidewalk. He smiled to himself and drove to the other end of the court to park his car.

“Hey, Connie!” he heard Marlowe call from the kitchen as Connie removed his jacket.

“Yah?”

“We’re out of milk, eggs, toilet paper, hot pockets, and those little capri sun drinks you like.” Marlowe appeared in the kitchen doorway, holding an empty milk carton.

“Really?! Already? We just went shopping on Tuesday!” Connie put his coat back on.

“Yeah, but if we don’t refill those items we will only be able to subsist on Jean’s whoopie pies and no amount of time on the treadmill will justify that desire.” Marlowe complained.

“OK, fine. I’ll go to the store.”

“Thanks. Oh, here’s some cash for my share. Hitch and I are watching a movie downstairs and I think she’s largely to blame for the lack of hot pockets so...there’s extra cash. Sorry about that.” Marlowe scrunched his face a little.

“Ok, no problem. Thanks. Jean home yet?”

“Yeah I think he konked out before I got home. Armin dropped him off because he was too tipsy to drive.”

“Jean was too tipsy to drive?” Connie laughed.

“I know. Up is down. Cats and dogs living together. I don’t know what to think. Prepare for a new world order. I better get back downstairs before Hitch tries to send a search party via cat.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

So, Connie went to the grocery store and retrieved the missing items, this time choosing oversized family packs to prevent immediate disaster. His mind wandered a bit as he shopped around, wondering which townhouse Sasha lived in, if he’d get a call from her, etc. He’d not been this excited to meet someone in years and he had no idea why.

On the drive home, he spotted something unusual beneath an overpass near his housing development. When he got closer he slowed his car, hoping to high holy hell that someone hadn’t dumped a body near his house. It appeared to indeed be human, covered in a green tattered cloth. He’d only ever seen homeless folks in the city, so he assumed that a student got drunk and wandered off. He parked the car and hopped out, not particularly concerned for his own welfare.

“Hey...are you alright? Do you need a doctor?” he called when he was close enough.

The figure sat up abruptly and responded in a low voice. “Ahm fine, thank you very much.”

Connie blinked.

“...Sasha??!?”

Sasha pushed the thin blanket off of her head and looked at him with horror. “Connie?! Oh my god! I’m fine! I like it out here.”

Connie could feel the rush of a thousand feelings hitting him at once. She’d lied to him. But it was an understandable lie. But she was sleeping on the street. This talented, beautiful girl was sleeping beneath an underpass. How? Why?? His mind returned to memories from earlier. She was so hungry. She forgot her wallet. Her shoes. It all made sense.

“Sasha, are you really sleeping out here and expect me to believe you’re fine?” his voice sounded hollow.

“...I guess not...but...I don’t really have any place else to go.” she said quietly. Silence fell between the two of them.

“Yeah you do. Stay with us tonight. You can tell me all about this and we’ll figure something out in the morning.”

“I couldn’t do that. You’ve already given me so much. Free food, possible job leads, companionship...I hardly know you and I have nothing to offer you.” She couldn’t raise her head to look at him, her shame gathering the tears in her eyes.

“Wow, Sash I know we just met today, but I cannot let you sleep out here. The police will find you or worse. Jean and Marlowe are my housemates and I know they won’t mind. We have a couple of couches. No one will bother you.” He wanted to ask about everything. Why she was there, how she got this far, what her plans were...but all he could think of was trying to get her inside to safety and warmth.

“I really couldn’t. I don’t want to be a burden.” she choked. “You weren’t supposed to know.”

“Friends don’t think of friends as burdens. Maybe we’ll look back on this and laugh, but right now I really need you to get in the car with me and head home, okay? I promise I’m not a creep, but I can’t promise that a creep won’t find you out here.” There were crickets in the silence, and the fall chill was beginning to settle in. Sasha shivered.

“Okay….” She said quietly. “But just for tonight.”

“Until we figure something out. Come on. “ Connie picked up her guitar case and deposited it in his back seat. She followed reluctantly, and kept silent during the two minute ride home.

**  
**  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Birds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we follow Jean and Armin on their Not-Date, and disaster follows them. Mikasa concocts her own wicked schemes and prepares to launch a band makeover for the Jaegerbombs. 
> 
> Silly shit left and right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are still reading this, thank you so much for your support. This crack has evidently been in my head longer than I had any notion of.

Mikasa slid into the kitchen via socks on the linoleum floor, earbuds in both ears and breakfast on the brain. She pulled down a mixing bowl and danced over to the cupboard to pull down the box of pancake mix. It was a sort of game for her; dance while you’re making breakfast and it’s impossible to have a bad day. Dance to Big Bang first thing in the morning, and maybe...just maybe..some of the magic will get cooked into the pancakes and Eren will decide to be more than friends. Wishful thinking, but pancakes made everything possible.

 

They’d argued a little the night before about their band’s image, and Eren reluctantly agreed to allow her room to try things her own way for a while. The boys had no idea what they were getting into. But first...pancakes. With chocolate chips. Who cares it if was already noon.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Armin watched the trees go by, counting each one silently as Jean drove away from the funeral home in his SUV. He’d at least managed to change before he left this time, though he had no idea what to dress for.

 

“You going to tell me where we going?” He asked, quietly observing that the maple trees had begun to yellow.

 

“If I did that, I’d take all the fun out of super-fun-awesome-Jean-and-Armin-Adventure-Time.” Jean replied, flicking his turn signal on.

 

“Okay.” Armin wasn’t convinced, but went along with it. Most of Jean’s ideas were less crazy than Eren’s pretty much across the board. “How’s your head? You were pretty blasted last night.”

 

“It’s fine. Actually I woke up to something interesting this morning. It seems Sasha is going to be staying with us for a little while. Apparently her accommodations fell through after she got here, and she seems alright so I’m fine with it. We had the roommate vote this morning. If I were a betting man, I’d bet that Connie’s nursing a crush on her. Not that I blame him, she’s kind of cute.” Jean drove them through the main part of town and avoided the streets closed for the few remaining farmer’s markets of the season.

 

“Oh, the singer? She was really good. I’m glad you were able to take her in. She seems so far from home. Maybe I’ll get a chance to get to know her better also.” Armin fiddled with the sleeve of his black corduroy jacket.

 

“So ‘Min, before we arrive at our first destination  there’s something I’ve been wondering about.” Jean waited at a stoplight and turned down the radio.

 

“Okay. I’ll bite. What is it?” Armin replied, glancing over at the driver.

 

“What were you so upset about the other day, anyway?” Jean turned his head to check Armin’s expression, but the blonde was always guarded.

 

“You sure you want to hear about it? It’s business related mostly, therefore hard to hear.” Armin replied.

 

“I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to know. You told me last night that you were fine with the family business, don’t think I forgot, so yes. I want to know.” Jean crossed through the intersection and headed north out of town.

 

A tiny part of Armin grew excited because they were leaving Sina for an unknown destination. He knew every inch of Sina, so leaving it was a game changer. Still, despite his excitement, he had to answer the question and he knew it would dampen the fun. It took a certain kind of person to be able to handle all of the ugliness of death every day as a profession, and not everyone could handle the strain of full disclosure. He sighed.

 

“Bear with me, ok? This isn’t pleasant stuff. Sometimes you just need a release to shake all the darkness free from your system once it’s settled there. That’s what working with death is like. Even though it becomes rote, sometimes there is something unexpected that truly gets under your skin. This time it was a baby. Practically a baby; she was two. Beautiful kid but she fell once and hit her head, and that’s all it took. It was so tragic and pointless, and the mother kept blaming herself for not being attentive enough. Her six year old brother kept trying to sneak into the embalming room to take her home, and he got in one time at the worst possible moment. I can’t even imagine how long it’s going to take to get that out of his head. He didn’t deserve that as his last memory. We can’t help the dead; funerals are for the living. And I kept thinking that if I’d remembered to lock the door he wouldn’t be living with that memory. I know what that’s like.” Armin stopped himself there, not ready to divulge the finer details of his own memory. “So, that’s that. I just went to the beach and screamed at the sea and got it out of my system.”

 

“That’s that, huh? Holy shit, Armin. I can’t even imagine what you see every day. I really can’t even begin to think about it.” Jean had that faraway look that suggested he was recalling memories of his own. “But are you sure that’s all it was?”

 

“It’s fine, Jean. Try not to worry about it. I’m not working right now so I’d rather be present at the moment if that’s ok.” Armin offered a small smile.

 

Jean didn’t look convinced, but he replied, “Okay.” and kept driving. There were about five minutes of awkward silence before Jean reached over and turned up his radio. Collective Soul.

 

“Is that all you wanted to know?” Armin tilted his head.

 

“Um...yeah about that I guess. For now. “ Jean cast a sidelong glance his way. “If you’re in a talkative mood though I’m sure I can think of some more.”

 

“I’m not really interesting.” Armin shrugged and pulled out his phone to check the time. Admitting that he was a little disappointed wasn’t acceptable to him.

 

“I disagree.” Jean pulled into a small parking lot that belonged to four or five small waterfront buildings. There was a small harbor behind it, the green light of a channel marker pulsing out on the water. “This place has the best cappuccino and hot sandwiches I’ve ever had.”

 

“That’s a pretty outrageous claim. A lot of people make sandwiches.” Armin climbed out of the car once it was parked.

 

“Not like these. They make the bread, too.” Jean grinned.

 

“Your family owns a bakery; aren’t you fueling the competition out here?”

 

“We don’t serve sandwiches. And I just don’t tell them.” Jean held the door open for Armin. The two ordered lunch and walked out to the harbor to locate a bench to sit on. They couldn’t find one, so they opted to sit on the side of the dock and watch the water. Armin cupped his coffee and blew on the steam, wondering if he should really be consuming caffeine before whatever surprise activities Jean had in mind. He was right, though. The sandwich was well worth the trip. The sudden barrage of seagulls believed so also.

 

“Seagulls! God dammit! Get your own!” Jean removed his hat and waved it around wildly to drive them off. “RATS WITH WINGS! BEGONE!”

 

“Maybe we should just leave a small bread offering and run for it?” Armin tore off some bread and wrapped his sandwich before he stuffed it in his messenger bag.

 

“No way! I’m not caving to these savages!” Jean stomped toward the seagulls that landed five feet from him, uncowed by his displays of dominance. Armin had seen similar behaviour from Eren more than a few times.

 

“Okay. Hand me your phone and your wallet.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Trust me, Jean. This dock has plenty of places for you to drop things while you’re flailing around. You don’t want to pull an Eren, do you?” Mention of Eren brought Jean back to his senses temporarily. He passed Armin his wallet, keys, and cell phone, which Armin stuffed into his bag. The seagulls, sensing a window of opportunity, dove for the end of Jean’s sandwich as he turned to face them.

 

“AH! Ambush! Get lost you Alfred Hitchcock motherfuckers!” Jean charged at them, flinging lettuce and tomato into the air and into the waiting clutches of the seabirds. The collective cloud of wings, beaks, and graspy legs warbled and cried as one.

 

“Face it Jean, they’re more organized than we are. They’ve probably been practicing for this moment their whole lives.” At this point, it was just funny to watch Jean struggle. Armin folded his arms and leaned against a pillar to watch the spectacle. The seabirds were most definitely fucking with him. “Have you considered a peace treaty or temporary armistice?”

 

“Fuck no! I’m higher on the food chain. I am not losing to these air chickens!” No sooner had the statement left Jean’s lips before he tripped, failed to catch himself, and stumbled directly into the bay with a mighty splash.

 

Armin’s eyes widened and he shot over to the edge where Jean had fallen, caught in that moment between figuring out if your friend is okay before being allowed to laugh. He had no idea how deep the water was here, but it couldn’t be more than five feet or so.

 

“Jean?!!? Oh my god they got you! Are you okay?!” Armin had to bite his lip to prevent himself from laughing, but he knew that the water was cold now and that cannot have been a pleasant experience. Jean surfaced a second later with an undignified screech.

 

“AHHH! HOLY SHIT JACK FROST IS EATING MY ASS RIGHT NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!” He tried to reach the dock itself, but it was well out of reach for him to pull himself up.

 

“Swim for that dinghy and I’ll pull you up.” Armin pointed at the small craft that was likely used to shuttle fisherman to their larger boats. He zipped along the dock and jumped down into the boat without another thought. When Jean got close enough, he leaned on the opposite side of the dinghy as a counterweight and helped the defeated boy into the boat. Jean shivered and flipped his hair to get some of the water off, catching Armin in the spray.

 

“Ah!! Careful, dammit you’re gonna knock me in too!” Armin put a hand on either side of the boat to steady it. “Come on we have to get you to a dry and warm place.”

 

“I am going to kill each and every one of them.” Jean growled.

 

“What. The seagulls?” Armin glanced at the birds who were calmly perched on the dock. Three or four had gone after the remains of Jean’s sandwich when it took a swim.

 

“Yes.”

 

“They bested you, Jean. Let’s get to the dock and I’ll walk you through the stages of grief.” It took all of the power within him not to laugh himself into the bay due to the sour look on Jean’s face alone. The two boys climbed back onto the dock and Armin fetched his bag. “Hey, I’ve got some extra clothes in here. They might be a little small on you but they’re dry.”

 

Jean cast a parting glare at the seagulls and nodded.  “Let’s head back to the car before someone calls a Park Ranger on me.” He sloshed his way around the buildings as Armin shuffled behind with his eyes downcast, but the biggest smile was plastered on the blonde’s face.

 

“Are you laughing at me?” Jean stood by the back of his SUV when he realized Armin had his keys. That was all it took before Armin erupted into full bodied laughter, using the back of the car for support.

 

“Oh my god! You! Ahahaha! I’m so glad you’re okay but oh my GOD those birds! What were those BIRDS!? And Jack Frost!??? Really? Fuck...dinner first! Holy shit...air...” Armin gasped for air between laughing fits that only worsened when Jean scowled at him. The taller boy relieved the laughing hyena of his bag and pulled out his keys, unlocking the car with a chirp, and opening the back.

 

“Next time I’m throwing you in.” Jean was struggling to stay angry. Armin was sitting crosslegged in the parking lot, silently heaving from laughter with tears running down his face. Jean tried to ignore him and climbed into the back of the vehicle, folding the seats down so he had room to change. Peeling off cold and wet clothing was never a pleasant experience, but Jean had a couple of towels stashed away that he used for deliveries. He stripped down to his boxers and dried off as best he could. Armin finally came to his senses and clambered back into the front passenger’s seat.

 

“I’m better now.” It was all Armin could say.

 

“Sure you are.” Jean smirked. He’d not seen Armin laugh that hard in years, so despite the high personal cost, Jean decided it was worth it.

 

Armin turned around to face him. “So where to next? Oh...er...clothes are in the back zipper part.”

 

Jean followed the instruction and pulled out a pair of black sweatpants that slid on easily and fit relatively well if it weren’t for the four inches of skin exposed above his ankle. They were practically capris, but he could deal with it. He pulled out a tshirt that he’d seen Armin wear before; it was pink and bore the phrase: “Nerd? I prefer the term intellectual badass.”. He groaned inwardly.

 

“Really, ‘Min?” Jean pulled the shirt on, which was fitted on him and loose on Armin.

 

“You could always wear nothing and catch pneumonia. Toss me your keys.” Armin caught the thrown keychain and keyed the ignition to get the heater going. As soon as he’d done that, Armin’s phone beeped to announce that a text had arrived. Jean’s phone made a tardis whirring sound to announce that it too received a text.

 

***GROUP TXT* MIKAAAA!: Hey. Rehearsal at our place tonight. Be here at 3 or you’ll do extra pushups. I have been given artistic licence.**

 

Armin blinked and reread it. “Hey, it looks like Mikasa is calling rehearsal early today. I guess that’s ok, right? We can’t really go anywhere else with you soaking wet and dying from embarrassment.”

 

Jean groaned. “Ugh. Sorry about that.” He slid into the driver’s seat and turned the heat up full blast. He punched out a reply in his phone quickly and tried to mask his shivering. Armin removed his coat and tossed it at him.

 

“Fight me later. Stay warm right now. If you need me to drive let me know.” Armin punched a reply into his phone and tossed it back into his bag before removing his sandwich.

 

“Thanks. We’ll have to come back when that turf war isn’t going on in the dock area.” Jean pulled the coat on without argument. Deciding to press his luck, Armin offered him half of his sandwich.

 

“Aw, I couldn’t. I’ll just run in and get another one.” Jean tried to decline, but Armin tried to deposit it directly in his mouth as soon as it became clear that Jean was being stupid.

 

“I can run in and get you another one if you really want. I kinda want soup after all of this, and I doubt you want to be seen in that right now.” Armin hopped out of the car, leaving Jean with half a sandwich stuffed in his mouth.

 

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Ackerman residence...**

* * *

 

 

Mikasa and Eren were consuming their afternoon pancakes and watching Sleepy Hollow when their phones lit up. Mikasa grabbed her phone and read it.

 

***GROUP TXT: ARMIIIIIIIIIIN: Everything ok? Be there soon; we’re outside of town and Jean fell in the bay. Will change and be over.**

***GROUP TXT: Jeanbo: Don’t ask. BTS, plz no pushups.**

 

Eren grabbed his phone and read the series of texts. “Mikasa...what are you planning? Oh my god he fell in the bay! That idiot.”

 

Mikasa flashed him a devilish smile and kept her eyes on her phone while she typed a response. Eren’s response popped up before she could hit send.

 

***GROUP TXT*: Eren Jaeger: I have no idea what’s going on either. Just get here. She’s moved all the furniture out of the basement and I’m scared.**

***GROUP TXT*: Jeanbo: What’s in the basement?**

***GROUP TXT* Me: ME TO KNOW, YOU TO FIND OUT ;)**

 

Eren looked up at Mikasa with concern and slowly resumed eating his pancakes. Jean read the exchange and checked the time, not enthused about the prospect of additional pushups. Armin hopped back in the car and handed Jean a brown bag; he kept a styrofoam cup of soup for himself.

 

“Any idea?” Armin nodded at Jean’s phone.

 

“Thanks. And not a clue. We’ll pick up super-fun-awesome-Jean-and-Armin-Adventure-Time at a later date.”

 

“Sure.” Armin drank some of his soup happily.

 

* * *

 

 

Connie’s phone went off around 2:30.

 

***TXT* Mikasa A: Hey Con we’re trying some tentative new directions for the Jaegerbombs tonight and would love your input if you’re available. 6pm.**

Connie raised an eyebrow; The Jaegerbombs only ever did what Eren wanted to do. It wasn’t because he forced them to, but because his choices were fun for all of them. If Mikasa had been given some authority, this was going to get interesting. He replied:

 

***TXT* Me: Sure. Can I bring Sasha?**

 

Connie looked over at the girl soundly sleeping on his couch. Everyone else had gone to work. His phone lit up almost immediately.

 

***TXT* Mikasa A: PLEASE! I need her opinion too. For Reasons.**

 

Connie smiled and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

  
  


* * *

 

 

Armin was the first to arrive at 2:30 since he lived closest (and hated pushups), and Jean had to run home to change again. He keyed himself in and called out in greeting, only to be met with silence. He hung up his coat and walked into the old house; Mikasa had inherited the property when her parents died and the place was enormous. She’d taken on a roommate to help her with costs, or at least that’s what she said. Everyone knew about her crush on Eren since grade school.

 

He wandered until he found Mikasa in the kitchen doing dishes, both earbuds still in. She loaded the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and closed it with a smooth kick before diving into a dance he recognized. If you were friends with Mikasa, you knew about her obsession with K-pop, and J-pop. She taught herself every dance she could get her hands on; it was one of her more endearing qualities. This also meant that the Jaegerbombs and all of their immediate friends had been subject to forced viewings of music videos. Armin decided to make his presence known by jumping straight into the dance with her. It didn’t matter to him that stylistically, this dance was designed for females to perform; his body obeyed him better with girl band dances anyway.

 

“ _Naega jeil jal naga_!” she sang quietly. “ _Naega jeil jal na_ GAHHH!!! Armin what the shit?!” She pulled her earbuds out and laughed at him, so he stopped dancing.

 

“Hi! Guess I’m first?” He smiled and poured himself a glass of water.

 

“Eren’s in the basement finishing with the floor mopping. You should go down there and put your footprints in it. I’m waiting on the others.”

 

“Ok. Jean will be here soon; he just ran home to change out of my clothes.” Armin shrugged.

 

“What?? Why...is he in your clothes?” Mikasa narrowed her eyes a little.

 

“Because his are wet from falling into the bay.”

 

“Why did he fall into the bay?”

  
“ _Seagulls_.” Armin whispered with wide eyes, letting Mikasa’s imagination go wherever it wanted to. He turned on heel and walked downstairs until cries of “HEY! I JUST CLEANED THAT!” echoed up from the basement.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

The song/dance in question: [I am the Best - 2NE1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnh9Depzz70)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naturally, everyone has nicknames for everyone else in their phones when texting. Today we'll feature Mikasa.
> 
> Mikasa's phone nicknames for everyone: Eren Jaeger, ARMIIIIIIIN, Jeanbo, DeceptiCONNIE, Levi the Bartender, NotMyBossHanji, Reinocerous, Bertllll, AniAni, Eeeemrrrr, Moblit.


	4. Might Just Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa pitches her band-makeover plan to the Jaegerbombs to prepare for their Halloween concert, and silently hopes that they'll like it enough to incorporate it in the future. How will they react? And who IS Sasha Braus? Slice of life chapter between Hole in the Wall activities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was one of the ones that went about halfway to where I'd hoped it would go; I consider it to be pretty crap as chapters go BUT I had fun writing it so I figured I'd post it anyway. My friends needed me to write this one for them, so they say. I enjoy tormenting these fictional people far too much. And I not-so-secretly love it when the Shingeki's dance. Don't worry; it'll all make sense later. 
> 
> Next chapter will feature Sasha and Connie more strongly, as she has some interesting interviews lined up. Poor Connie has no idea what's going on; lots of change very quickly. See author's notes below for the video link.

Mikasa walked the floor in front of the rapt audience of her band. The basement was completely devoid of furniture, but now covered with foam interlocking puzzle pieces. This would be necessary, she thought, because someone might get hurt straight off the bat and toss her ideas in the garbage. Or try; she could be very convincing when she needed to be. Right now, looking at the expectant and somewhat apprehensive faces around her, she needed to be.

 

“Alright. My idea is simple. We play our own instruments; everybody knows that. I won’t lie though, I’ve been feeling pretty restrained because there’s only so much I can do WHILE playing guitar. I think the time has arrived to boost popularity through other means. We choreograph dances to our previously recorded music, use live mics, and don’t skimp out on the fanservice. Don’t worry, I won’t shirk my responsibilities there, either.”

 

Eren raised his hand. “So, you’re not suggesting that we change our actual musical style, just that we adopt a different presentation method?”

 

“For now, that is correct. That way we can gauge audience reaction. We have a lot of work to do before our concert Halloween weekend, and I want to make a lasting impression. Plus I think it will be fun.”

 

Jean began putting the pieces together “So, you’re going to make us dance aren’t you.”

“Yes. You will dance, nerds. There is no escape. In fact, the reason I called you over so early is so we can get some rehearsal time in. So, instead of choreographing one of our songs from scratch, I’ve taken the liberty of finding existing dances that I will teach you that also happen to align eerily with our work. Don’t worry, I’ve chosen mostly guy groups to pull from.”

 

“It’s going to be K-pop, isn’t it.” Eren replied flatly.

 

“Just let it happen, Eren.” With that, Mikasa picked up the remote to their oversized tv and hit play, allowing her apprehensive bandmates to feast their eyes on the likes of History’s “Might Just Die”. She waited until the very end before stopping it and turning around to check out their reactions. 

 

Eren’s face read as skeptical, but not immediately scornful of the idea, which gave her hope. Jean still had an eyebrow raised, but was hard for her to get a read on. She noted that he’d crossed his legs sometime during the duration, which indicated a closed body stance. Armin looked absolutely mortified and had covered his mouth with his hand.

 

“I know that’s a lot to learn, and you’re probably thinking that you could never look that incredible on stage, but I promise you’re wrong. Watch what happens if I mash the two songs together.” Mikasa pressed play again and played her own video edit, overlaying their new song 'Cloudbreak' over the video. She was right and she knew it; the song and dance lined up too well for them to ignore the coincidence.

 

“Shit.” Eren said, watching her creation. “This is really good. I mean. I don’t know about the others, but I can definitely handle this.”

 

“Rude!” Jean crossed his arms. “I can definitely pull this off better than you can, Jaeger. For one thing, I can dance. You just flail aggressively.”

 

“With style! I flail with style! And it’s so on. I don’t know about all this; I’m not sure we can sing and dance at the same time, but I do know that I can do it better than you can.”

 

“But what are they doing to the floor?!” Armin remained in a mild state of shock. “I don’t think I can make my body do that, Mika. Also I don't think I can invite my parents.”

 

“The male body is actually designed to be able to do such things, ‘Min. I think you’ll surprise yourself. And we can airbrush your abs if you’re self conscious.” Inwardly, Mikasa knew that Armin was not really cut out for such things, but she also knew that if she really wanted something, he’d do his best to support her. At least, this is what she hoped. She had wanted to dance on stage for so long, she figured now is as good a time as any to be experimental.

 

“May I raise a practical point?” Jean spoke up. “We have four members, and that choreography requires five.”

 

“An excellent observation, Jeanbo. That brings me to my next point. I was thinking that we take on another member; it’d fill in the holes in our sound and round out our choreography.” Mikasa was more concerned about this proposal than her dance idea.

 

“Wow. I’m not sure our fans are going to like that.” Eren made a face.

 

“Who’d you have in mind?” Jean asked.

 

“Sasha. I have no idea if she’d go for it, but I figure if Con brings her over this evening and she decides she’d like to join what we’re doing...well. I could use another girl in the band. I think it would improve our sound and she’s amazing.” Mikasa tried to gauge their reactions.

 

“It wouldn’t hurt to try. It’s not like we’re the Beatles or we can never change. What’s the point in modifying our image and exploring new things if we’re afraid to do it.” Jean responded almost immediately in support. Eren threw him a look.

 

“Yeah, I guess he’s right. Let’s just...see how it goes before we get ahead of ourselves.” Eren leaned back far enough to lay down on the floor.

 

“Sure. We can try it.It’s a little suggestive though...” Armin still looked concerned.

 

“It’s settled, then. And yes, suggestive is the idea if we want to gain more popularity. Simply put, sex sells.” Mikasa spoke quickly. “Let’s get right into learning this dance so we don’t waste time. And for the record Eren, the more fanservice you and Jean can conjure with each other, the better. Trust me. I don’t think you realize this, but Historia runs a fan club for our band and your pairing is very popular. Like, ridiculous popular. A little thigh grab never killed anyone, right?”

 

“Not sure about that; depends on the grab or if the main artery is torn.” Armin mumbled. Mikasa shot him a look.

 

“WHOAH whoah whoah..you want us to what now?” Eren sat up immediately.

 

“You said you’d trust me, Eren. Don’t you trust me?” Mikasa pouted lightly.

 

“Eh, whatever. It’s for the fans so I don’t care.” Jean said. “It doesn’t mean anything on stage.”

 

“But it means everything to me.” Mikasa smiled. “Shall we get started?

  
  


\---------3 hours later----------

 

Jean and Eren had fallen against each other into a heap of heavy breathing; both had been attempting to outdance the other, but Eren had tripped and fallen into him while he was goofing around. Armin was laying on the floor staring at the ceiling, not interested in moving a single limb further. Mikasa had barely broken a sweat, but she was proud at how far they’d come. She sat and reviewed the video she’d taken of their last serious attempt to do the dance to hunt for inconsistencies.

 

“Ok, Eren you’re still leading with your left foot instead of your right foot. Cut that out. Jean you’re doing really well...I’m a little surprised. Armin...oh..Armin...the floor is not your enemy. There’s no need to keep slamming yourself into it.” Mikasa set the camera down.

 

“That isn’t on purpose!” Armin protested.

 

“Hey guys!” Connie called from the top of the basement stairs. “You guys rehearsing down here or somewhere else?”

 

“Where else would we be?” Eren grumped.

 

“Connie! Sasha! So glad you could make it! We’ve just finished up a run through of this dance we kindof stole wholesale for our new song.” Mikasa called up to them as the two descended into the basement.

 

“Cloudbreak? Oh wow...but if you’re dancing, how are you going to play the music?” Connie took a seat on the floor, Sasha followed suit. There was a noted lack of instruments in the basement.

 

“Mikasa’s k-pop witchcraft.” Eren untangled himself from Jean, who at this point had just decided to put all of his weight on Eren to crush him.

 

“We’re planning to have a whole set ready for the Halloween concert!” Mikasa smiled.

 

“Oh, y’all gonna dress up too?” Sasha piped up.

 

“Probably not in traditional costumes, but I do plan on making over our look for the gig.” Mikasa replied. Armin whined from the floor. “And actually, I was really hoping you’d be interested in helping us out.”

 

“...with fashion design?” Sasha made a face.

 

“Erm...well. By joining the band for a while. We are in desperate need of a fifth dancer for our choreography and you’re a strong singer. You don’t have to decide right away, but it’d be cool if you’d rehearse with us tonight just so we can get the choreography right. If we need to find someone else, then we won’t be bumbling around like idiots trying to find them and do the dance correctly.” Mikasa explained.

 

Connie watched the exchange somewhat akin to watching a ping pong match, and he had no idea what game was actually being played. Not playing instruments was a BIG move for this band, and so was adding a new member. That puts a lot of pressure on a group to meld quickly and sell it, and he wasn’t sure that Sasha would be ready for such things after all she’d been going through.

 

“Wait REALLY you want me!? Of all people?! Um...well I could help you out for right now. Let me watch the dance a few times and I should be able to pick it up.” Sasha was excited.

 

“YAY! Hooray!” Mikasa glomped her in a rush of unusual exuberance. “Ok, ok! We’ve decided we’re playing to strengths we didn’t even know we had until we talked to Historia and her fan network. Connie you might want to sit down for this.”

 

Sasha plopped right down where she was standing, ready for a show. Connie was still looking at Mikasa as though she’d been replaced by a changeling baby, so Sasha yanked his belt loop until he sat with her to watch the dance. The Jaegerbombs half crawled, half bounced to their opening positions, the gap in their formation where the fifth person should go became extremely obvious.

 

Jean had apparently been waiting quite a long time to be a complete showoff. He and Eren and Mikasa played very well off each other, and Sasha was doing her best not to become a squeaking, fangirling mess. Armin, bless him, was able to keep up for the most part, but just could not get his hips to cooperate with the rest of his body. Still, after only three hours of practice, they managed to sell the dance.

 

Sasha jumped up and clapped excitedly. “THAT looks like SO much fun oh mah GAWD. Ya’ll look hot! I’m sure ya’ll can find someone better than me for the job but right now I wanna help.”

 

“You think you’re up for it?” Mikasa beamed, suddenly walking on air that she’d found a female friend to share her interests with.

 

“Does a bear shit in the woods?! Oh, I haven’t danced like this in an age. Ya’ll don’t mind if I help out a little bit instruction-wise? I used to teach and all. This really takes me back.” Sasha was practically vibrating. Mikasa was definitely meeting her at her level for energy output, where the guys laid down on the floor hoping for a longer break.

 

Connie was consistently surprised by the things that came out of Sasha’s face, and he wore it on his face. He stayed in one spot on the floor watching the spectacle the way a cow looks at an oncoming train. Even more surprising, Sasha went into teacher mode right away and began pulling the defeated males off the floor and into position. She walked them through the dance once, slowly, (Mikasa being thrilled that Sasha KNEW the thing. It meant Instant Friends for Life) and then drilled each segment individually until she was satisfied with the look.

 

“Eren, if you’re going to slide your hand up Jean’s thigh like that, at least have the good sense to make eye contact with him. You’ve got a great smoulder, but you’re still not all in.” Sasha circled Eren and Jean as they struck their pose for the start of the second verse.

 

“How much more “all in” do you want me to be, Sasha? I’m not grabbing his junk, ok?” Eren was tired and starting to fray a little around the edges.

 

“Hey, if you wanted to I’m not going to stop you.” Jean smirked. “Though I think we’d have to keep our performance to a certain age rating for the concert.”

 

“No, that’s lewd.” Sasha shook her head. “Trust me, you can convey more with simple eye contact than any other blatantly sexual gestures. Mikasa-- take Eren’s spot and show him what I mean.” Jean perked up ever so slightly.

 

“Sure, okay.”  Mikasa repeated Eren’s move, but flashed a look at Jean through her dark lashes. It hit him in the chest like a ton of figurative bricks. Mikasa was gorgeous, but her stare was dangerous. Jean didn’t even realize he returned the look, but decided it was easier to work with her than with Eren.

 

“Okay okay I get it, you can let go Mikasa.” Eren hurried over to retake his position.

 

“OK, you two practice that until you have something good to show me.” Sasha chirped, winking at Mikasa. “Armin get off the floor. We need to have a little chat about hip thrusts ok?”

 

“Ungh...why? I’m just not getting it. I’m getting everything BUT that. That and the stage fall because I’m afraid to break my wrist.”

 

“The fall I understand. It’s going to take a lot of practice with padding, but don’t give up. We have time.” Sasha pulled Armin to his feet and called to the other two boys who were still working out their pose. “Either of you boys want to teach Armin how to work his hips? It’s different for girls, so Mikasa and I are out.”

 

“Are we not doing phrasing anymore?” Eren laughed as he found his feet. “I don’t even know how to teach something instinctual like that.”

 

“Can we do this later? If I have an audience I won’t be able to focus. I'll just laugh.” Armin pleaded.

 

“Oh for...I’ll do it. Armin follow me up to the living room so you don’t have an audience.” Jean  turned to head up the stairs to the sounds of Eren cat-calling.

 

“Don’t make it weird, Eren.” Armin glared at his friend and followed Jean upstairs with apprehension written on his face.

 

Mikasa winced a little; she didn’t want to push her friends into things they weren’t comfortable with. However, she also knew that they were capable of a lot of things if they’d give them a chance. Jean was a guy she could rely on to indulge in her ridiculous ideas because he didn’t have many outlets of self expression. His parents made him wear a work uniform whenever he could conceivably be observed as ‘working’. Whenever he was presented with an opportunity to goof off, he leapt at it with all he had. Mikasa knew that for Jean at least, being in a band was one of the best things that ever happened to him. Even though Eren was the leader and the passion behind the Jaegerbombs, Jean was the rock they could rely on to keep things together. She desperately hoped he’d be able to help Armin who, for all of his smarts, was enormously self conscious about certain things. Mikasa crossed her fingers.

 

Around 10pm, the group finally decided to call rehearsal done and enjoy the crock pot chili Mikasa made earlier that day. She’d also set a smaller crock pot aside full of vegetarian rice chili for Jean, otherwise he wouldn’t eat. They talked about all sorts of things: the concert, what they wanted to be for Halloween, how many cupcakes could Jean actually make in one day, what part of Alabama Sasha was from, whether or not Armin should try for a more masculine stage presence, and could Eren eat a dozen donuts in one sitting. By the end of the evening, Mikasa and Sasha had established themselves as fast friends and had already made plans for the coming week. The group parted ways around midnight because Eren had to teach a morning class at his dojo and kicked everyone out.

 

Mikasa claimed the shower before Eren could remember that hygiene was a thing. Water helped her think, and as she stood in the heat of the spray, she reflected on the day. She was surrounded by talented people, but she hoped she hadn’t pushed them too far. They seemed ok; no more whining than usual given the circumstances. Mikasa was never sure; since she lost her own family, she’d clung to her friends as a lifeline. Especially Eren.

 

It was always weird with Eren. Yes, she’d had a crush on him since she was young...but in their adult years he’d become more than a simple crush. He was her closest friend and confidante. They could share hours in comfortable silence as they went about their own private worlds. That’s the best way to describe their relationship; comfortable. If she never dated him, she would still be happy as long as he was happy. It was this confusion that kept her from making any advances though; could someone that filled the emotional void left by your family really be someone you could date? She wasn’t sure. But she didn’t want to make things weird or do anything to risk his presence in her life, so she kept her silence.

 

It would be a lie to state that she hadn’t considered Jean. Given his rivalry with Eren, the thought never lasted long because she didn’t want to make Eren uncomfortable. And he would be uncomfortable, she thought. The boys cared about one another, but their rivalry was one of the ways they kept their friendship healthy.

 

Eren laughed at his SUV with the little pink cupcakes on the door. Jean occasionally made screaming voices whenever Eren tried to eat his steak at dinner. Fair is fair. Still, Jean was kind to her even if he was socially abrupt around others. He may be an asshole, but he was *their* asshole. And he would do literally anything on stage to help the band’s popularity, then pray later to every deity he could think of that his parents weren’t around to see it. She had to admit though, if she was really pressed, that Jean was very good looking. He just wasn’t as comfortable as Eren, and she’d convinced herself that it was Jean’s unavailability to her that made him attractive.

 

And then there was Armin. Everyone has that one friend that you feel you should reserve some concern for, but apart from his harrowing profession and general disagreement with gravity, he wasn’t an unhappy person. Mikasa combed through all of their conversation looking for warning flags, but they never came. Armin was just Armin. She wasn’t even particularly certain of his sexuality because whenever it came up, he always shrugged. He was either hanging out with dead people, rocking out with their band, or wearing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to in his free time. Mikasa went shopping with him more often than the others because of her lack of female friends...but all that was changing with Sasha’s arrival. The two had already planned a foreign film movie night with midnight margaritas, and a k-pop dance breakdown night. This, coupled with the fact that her band was going along with her suggestions made for a very happy Mikasa.

 

“Yo are you draining the ocean in there? You’ve been showering for like an hour. Make noise if you’re not dead.” Eren called through the door, jarring her back to reality.

 

“I am a human raisin!” She called back.

 

“Good. Now hurry up, I need a turn.” Eren’s voice got quieter as he walked away from the door.

 

“Kaaaaaaay…”

 

They had a couple of performances and rehearsals at the Hole in the Wall this coming week, and Halloween was her favorite holiday. For the first time in a long time, Mikasa was excited about life.

 

* * *

 

For interested parties, this is the dance that Mikasa gang-pressed her bandmates into: [HISTORY- Might Just Die](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa7QfiKGvfk)  

And she's got even more in the wings. Poor kids. So for those people who are as visual as I am and want to put the Jaegerbombs in dancing positions as per the video, they are as follows:

Starting pose: L to R  Sasha (Dark hair) Eren (Bright blonde hair) Mikasa (front and center, main dancer), Armin (bowl cut; shortest), Jean (lighter hair; tall rapper). 

 


	5. Pinky Swear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Sasha centric chapter. Sasha attends her business meetings in the hope of securing a recording contract with a record label, whichever one is the better fit, but she has no idea what a good fit for her would look like. Connie looks after her, and the two become close through a series of promises and confessions. Levi is apprehensive about the new girl; are his suspicions unfounded? How can Connie deal with having a crush on a friend? Dare he call it a crush? Will Jean poison his friends with meat substitutions and soy products? Find out in Chapter Five of the Hole in the Wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooooo so you know when life gets you blocked? That was me for a while, but I'm back with this chapter finally finished. I hesitated because it was meant to be such a cracky fic that I couldn't take seriously to suddenly becoming really serious by the fifth chapter like any good anime. Going by that standard, Ch 8 is really going to be a shit-hits-the-fan moment. Don't worry too much, though. :D We'll get back to fun shenanigans in the next chapter!

 

Connie waited patiently on his couch, keys in hand. The plan was simple; take Sasha to her first meeting, go to work, Mikasa will pick her up and drop her off with him at his workplace. On his break, he’ll take her to her second meeting, then pick her up when he’s off.

 

It seemed simple at first, but Sasha didn’t have a cell phone and reaching her could be complicated. Even though she seemed like a capable adult in other aspects of her life, that first night with her sleeping beneath an overpass made him question this. He still wasn’t sure who she was, or if she should be accompanied to these meetings or not. Even having known her a few days, she seemed to be happy to rely on other people ‘in good faith’, and he had to wonder how many times that had been disastrous for her. He wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about her but he was too nervous to ask, and afraid that she’d run. She appeared to have no qualms with the prospect, afterall.

 

A minute later, Sasha appeared in front of him, wearing one of Mikasa’s outfits she’d borrowed. It was a peach colored tank top under a cream colored chunky sweater and a pair of khaki bootcut pants. She wore a long silver chain necklace that rested comfortably between her breasts, which Connie was trying hard not to notice. The look suited her. She still wore those old boots, though.

 

“Feeling ready?” He asked, giving his best smile as assurance.

 

“Heck no, but I gotta. I don’t even know what to say to these people. I feel like they could talk me into buying a pony if I’m not careful.” she chuckled with nervousness. “How do I look?”

 

“Er…” Connie blinked. “Beautiful. I mean. Yes, beautiful. The peaches and cream look really suits you.” Con-man, you are ultra smooth. Way to describe a pretty girl using food.

 

Sasha smiled a little at the compliment. “Well if you think I’m beautiful then I guess I could probably do anything, huh?”

 

Connie knew he was blushing. He could feel it happening; sunburn that tingled on his cheeks and roared in his ears a little. This girl had way too much power over him.

 

“If that’s all it takes then I hope the world is ready for you.” Connie fought with his body; demanded that it attempt being reasonable for once. You still don’t know this girl, he thought. But she is something else…

 

“Provided I don’t accidentally buy a horse farm instead of signing a record contract.” She picked at the bottom of her sweater a little, her long silver necklace with a tiny cat on it swaying a little as she unseated it from its resting place.

 

“Remember the plan. Come on, let’s go.” He walked to the front door and held it open for her. “You’ve got to win the world over today.”  She walked through the door with a puzzled look on her face.

 

“Right. The plan. I completely remember. Totally.” Sasha climbed into the front seat of his car and fiddled with the seatbelt.

 

“So when you say things about not really remembering the plan, I worry.” Connie smiled at her, because smiling at her came easily to him. She scrunched her nose a little in response.

 

They drove in relative silence until she heard Pink Floyd on the radio and cranked it.

 

“Didn’t see that coming.” Connie remarked. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”

 

“What? Why? Pink Floyd is a classic.”

 

“No doubt. I just mean that there’s something new and surprising every day with you. Sleeping under a bridge. Teaching dance. Loving rock classics. Having the voice of an angel that I’m still not over...in fact I’m not over pretty much any of it. I’m saying this out loud, aren’t I?” Connie winced a little.

 

Sasha frowned some. “I’m not trying to be mysterious. If I’m honest though, I’m a little embarrassed. I’m out here all of this way without necessities. I have a copy of my birth certificate so I should be able to get an ID. I can call my dad and he might be able to arrange a package be shipped up here if I gave him your address...but...I don’t really want to get you involved.”

 

“Involved in what? Sash you’re one of us now, remember? I’m already involved. A little invested, too. I want to see you succeed but I really have to know what’s going on. I don’t like fighting blind, you know? I mean...what are you running from?”

 

“A lot. But. I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

 

“I’m already worried about it! How can I support you if I don’t know? How will I know what a good contract for you will look like if I don’t know what your life is like? I mean...how can I protect you?” Connie knew he’d probably gone too far, but he made a point of saying what he meant.

 

“Protect me?” Sasha repeated, her voice low.

 

“Whatever happened in Alabama isn’t going to happen here, you hear? I won’t let it. “ Connie stated firmly.

 

“Ha. You keep comparing me to an angel. I guess like knows like.”

 

“Oh, man. I’m not an angel. I’m more like a muppet than anything.”

 

“Good thing I like muppets too. You’re right, though. You deserve an explanation. I promise I’ll tell you tonight when you’re off work, so be prepared to stay up late ok?”

 

Connie nodded. “Deal. Here’s your stop. I’ve got your back, ok? You’re talented and they know it. Don’t let them sell you short.”

 

Sasha brightened a little. “ I’m glad you’re in my corner. Going to go buy horses now.” She grinned widely and opened the door.

 

“Hey..hey now wait just a minute.”

 

“What?”

 

“Pound it.” Connie held his bro-fist out to her expectantly. She looked at it, then pounded her fist into his, both of them simultaneously making explosion sounds.

 

“Perfect. We didn’t even have to rehearse it. Later, Con!” Sasha slid out of the car and into the sunlight, waving at him before she retreated into the restaurant. He wouldn’t see her until Mikasa dropped her off, so he continued onward to work.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Hey.” Levi nodded to Connie as he walked into the Hole in the Wall. It was the early afternoon, so guests were enjoying their lunch to the melodious musical stylings of Moblit’s piano playing. It was the only time he ceased fretting about anything, so Hanji made sure that he had a regular slot.

 

“Hey, Levi. What’s the word?” Connie pulled on his apron and ducked into the kitchen, where he could still communicate through the order-up window.

 

“It’s Sunday. That’s all I’ve got at the moment. Mostly just been cleaning.” He punctuated his sentence by tossing a towel over his shoulder. “I don’t mean to pry, but I wanted to ask you what was going on. That girl...Sasha is staying with you now I hear?”

 

“Yeah, I dunno. I think it was the right thing to do since her plans fell through and all.”

 

“And your roommates are completely cool with living with someone who basically fell in off the street?” Levi had no idea how close his words were to the truth.

 

“Yeah.” Connie said more defensively than he meant to. “She had nowhere else to go, you know? I couldn’t just let her sleep outside.”

 

Levi stared at Connie a moment in silence. “But you don’t know anything about her?”

 

Connie stopped refilling the tray of salt and pepper shakers and met Levi’s gaze. “So what’s this about, man?”

 

“It’s probably nothing, but that seems a bit sudden to me. Perhaps I’m showing my age.” Levi said.

 

“Oh come on, don’t give me that crap. Weren’t you born in 1978 or thereabouts? Listen, no one born after 1965 gets to claim they’re being old fashioned when it comes to living situations. Not after tent cities and VW buses, sorry. Is there something I should know?” Connie began refilling the salt shakers.

 

“I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel like she’s not telling the truth. She might be telling half truths, even. It’s just something, okay? If I were to guess, I’d think she was a runaway.” Levi said. At this point in his life, Levi had done tours in the military and when his service was complete he had settled down in Sina hoping for a quieter, simpler life. His instincts were good, and even though Connie wasn’t supposed to know, he also knew that Levi’s entire squad had been wiped out twice over two particularly bad assignments. The wounds Levi carried were not immediately evident, but he still jumped at thunder or unexpected fireworks; the smallest jolt and a sharp intake of breath, and then it passed.

 

“I think you might be right about some of that, but she promised me we’d have a talk about that tonight. I like her though, Levi. What I’ve gotten from snips of conversation is that she left home in a hurry and that might be the reason you’re unsettled. I don’t want to spill her business if she asks me not to, but I’ll at least confirm or deny your fears.” Connie wiped down the counter when he was finished and began chopping vegetables.

 

“You like her, huh? That was fast. I guess we all fell a little for her when she performed, but alright, Connie. You know where to find me if you need backup.” Levi knocked on the window frame and turned to go back to work.

 

“Right. Thanks.” Connie said, but spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling over Levi’s apprehension. Maybe he was just an old fart afterall. When Mikasa dropped Sasha off, Connie was busy cooking and couldn’t do much to entertain her until his dinner break. Instead of sticking around, she opted to go for a walk around town until it was time to go again. Connie clocked out for his break and nodded to Levi as he escorted Sasha to his car.

 

“So, how’d it go with Nile?” He asked as he began their trek across town.

 

“That is a very severe man, that Nile Dok. I feel like he knows his business, though. And I have like 50 pages of paper to prove it. Thinking about it is giving me a headache. You know it was the nicest thing, though; he said that even if I didn’t sign with Unicorn Records he’d bring his daughter to see me sing because no one should miss it. I mean, that’s so sweet!” Sasha said.

 

“He’s right about that at least.” Connie said. “Even if he is sucking up to you.”

 

“What? You think so?” Sasha covered her mouth in embarrassment.

 

“Probably. I mean a man with a face like that has to work extra hard to convince people he isn’t a closet supervillain. For the record, I’ve met his wife and she’s a quality woman, so I’ve given up trying to prove that he’s trying to take over the world.” Connie said.

 

“What if that was just someone pretending to be his wife?” Sasha asked.

 

“...holy shit Sasha you’re a genius!!! What if?!? Time to re-open the Nile-File. I want to believe…” Connie parked the car outside of restaurant number two, where Erwin Smith was waiting outside.

 

“Are you going to go home and pull out an actual file on that guy? I don’t know what I’ll do if so…” Sasha said, pulling her things together.

 

“Hopefully you’ll help me draw all the required mustaches on.” Connie smiled. “Go on, Sash. Mr. Smith is waiting for you. If that is his real name…”  

 

Sasha laughed and hopped out of the car. “Oh! Wait! Right! Pound it.” She offered her bro-fist to Connie, and he responded in kind.

 

“Break a leg, Sasha.” Connie sighed and waited until Sasha was safely in Erwin’s care before driving back to work. He spent the rest of the shift wondering if maybe he’d been too forward with her, because while he was beginning to understand that he was managing his crush poorly he didn’t want to make the living situation awkward. He fixated on this paranoia until it was time to pick her up once his shift was over, and he found her sitting outside reading a book.

 

“Hey stranger.” He called out the window. She snapped her head up and gave him a tired smile before climbing back in the car. “So, how’d it go?”

 

“Ugh, I got so flustered, Con. He’s so handsome and inspirational and...I dunno passionate? That it was hard to understand everything he was telling me. I did what you said though and made sure to ask about involvement with other groups and stuff, so I have this pile of paperwork for us to go through later. He’s gonna want an answer this week I think, at least to figure out what my intentions are.” As Sasha spoke, Connie felt a twinge of nervousness in his stomach that felt like jealousy. In all his life, no one had ever called him handsome or inspirational. He was just Connie, and Connie didn’t know how to compete with things like that. He swallowed it down.

 

“Good. Don’t sweat it because we’ll go over it later, ok? Just worry about being honest with yourself about what you’re looking for in a career.” Connie said as he drove them home, his eyes automatically gravitating towards the spot beneath the underpass where he’d found her before. He parked on the street in front of their house and held the front door open for her.

 

She walked in and hung up her coat before turning to look at him. “So uh...where do you want to do this?”

 

“Do what?” Jean asked, leaning in the kitchen doorway. The grin on his face explained what he meant by that.

 

“Oh, hi Jean!” Sasha smiled. “Nothing like what you and Armin were working on at rehearsal yesterday, don’t you worry. Let’s go to your room, Con.”

 

Jean was thrown off his game and couldn’t think of a single response as Connie led Sasha to his room. Defying all the odds, Connie’s room was well organized and clean, so Sasha took a seat on the floor and leaned back against his bed. Connie sat down next to her because he didn’t want to sit on a surface that would make him taller than her; looking down on her made him uncomfortable even if he wasn’t doing so in a metaphorical sense.

 

“Ok, I admit I’ve been worrying about this all day, too. I’m afraid that if I tell you these things, you’ll get angry with me for lying or misleading you, but that wasn’t my intention.” Sasha began.

 

Connie remembered Levi’s conversation earlier in the day and felt a pit fall in his stomach. “ I guess that depends on what it is. Like, if you reveal to me that you’ve been a Pokemon master this whole time I’m going to be upset. It’s only natural.” He felt even worse when he realized that she wasn’t smiling at his joke. She was looking at her knees.

 

“So. I’m from a nowhere town in Alabama, and the reason I had to run away from home was because it was the only untrackable option. The local cops convinced themselves that my paw murdered my ma when she disappeared years ago, but that’s nonsense. She just up and disappeared and left us without a trace, but they got it in their heads that he did her in and was hiding her remains on our property somewhere. Since it was a pile of shit..like...they never found any evidence but kept combing for reasons to try and search the farm. The most recent excuse was that they thought paw was cookin’ meth...and he weren’t doin’ that neither...so they started followin’ me around waitin’ for me to do somethin they could twist into probable cause.” Sasha paused to brave a cautious glance at Connie to gauge his reaction, but all he could do was stare at her with saucer eyes.

 

“Uh...anyway I used to teach dance classes in town, and one day one of these cops.. I went to high school with him...decided to stake me out there. When I had to leave for the night, my fellow instructor failed to recognize that this stalker cop wasn’t safe to leave me with. He tried to bodily force me into the car..and things...but I resisted. He did some things that I know weren’t legal. He took pictures with his cell phone when I fought back and claimed later that I was propositioning him and tried to stick me with a bogus charge. It was bullshit. I mean really fucking bullshit. So I ran away. He staked out my car, so I ran home. I told my dad what was happening, and he gave me cash for a bus and I left with whatever I could grab. Since then I been robbed a couple times which is why I don’t have everything I should. If I try to contact my father… well I just can’t. You just don’t understand. They harassed us for over a year. If I called my father they’d try to trace the call. It’s insane. I need to get him out of there but he’s more concerned with not giving away my location. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Sasha’s eyes were red, but she wasn’t crying. She was too angry. Too tired of it. Connie had heard about this sort of thing on cop dramas and he knew that there was little recourse for her in her own town. All of the things he’d seen on tv just seemed so distant from the safety of his world, and here was an honest instance unfolding in front of him that he wasn’t sure he was prepared for. He could imagine his father, a cop for many years, angrily balling a newspaper article enough small enough to throw it into the fireplace whenever he read about cops taking advantage of the system. He hated it. Connie hated it too. And here it was in front of him. He had to tell her.

 

“Holy shit, Sasha…” was all Connie could manage.

 

“Ok, let me try to get all of it out in one go before I lose my nerve. So let me be straight with you ok? I didn’t have housing arrangements when I got here. I figured I’d sleep wherever and find a shelter when it got too cold. I don’t have any friends here; my only plan was to try and make it up here and see if I could get paid for my music. I’m not 21. Or rather, I am in that I was once. I’m 24 actually. I really was a dance teacher. I’ve been doing it since I was real tiny. Dancing... not teaching. I’ve spent a lot of time sleeping outside and walking when I couldn’t afford a bus. I’ve played my guitar for train money. I may have stolen a couple of things. I understand though if you don’t want to get involved in the nightmare of my life.” Sasha looked over at him, trying to gauge his reaction. All Connie could do was frown. “I mean, the other shoe has to drop sometime.” she exhaled.

 

“Sash...I...don’t even...I need a minute to figure all of this out…I mean. I’m angry, but not at you. I’m angry FOR you. I think I know a couple of ways we can contact your dad without cluing in your stalker, but I just have to say...I’m really amazed. You’ve gotten this far and it hasn’t broken your spirit and you haven’t sold your soul.” Connie wanted to touch her. He wanted to reassure her that he wasn’t going to kick her out. Still, Levi was in his brain planting seeds of caution.“So what kind of things did you steal anyway?”

 

“Food. It’s so stupid that something we need to live costs so much anyway. When I got here I hadn’t eaten in two days, and you just... gave me food. I didn’t have any money and suddenly, food. Like it was nothing. But it was also everything. Yeah I made myself sick but...you know you’ve done a lot for me and I’m really kindof scared that you won’t accept me or that you’ll think I’m a freeloader. To be fair, I am a little, but I plan to get a job. Jean offered me a part time position that I plan to take so...I can help with our expenses.” Sasha was speaking quickly, and was becoming a little difficult to understand through her dialect.

 

Connie put his index finger to her lips to hush her, not even thinking before doing so. “Shh. I’m not kicking you out. Everything you’ve said makes sense.” He had to move his finger from her mouth but he really didn’t know where else to put it, so he removed it and slid some of the hair out of her eyes and smiled. A simple gesture, but one that had unintended consequences as his heart clenched a little and sped up. He now knew how impossibly soft her lips were, and would be haunted by this forbidden knowledge.

 

Okay, so it wasn’t forbidden exactly. It was just something that friends don’t need to know about other friends, but once they do it’s impossible to unlearn.

 

Sasha lowered her head a little, concealing her expression from him. “What if they find me? And they come here...what then?”

 

“I’d almost like to see them try. I’m just a cook I guess but my mother is a police dispatcher and my father’s served 20 years in the force so far. If there’s one thing that pisses him off it’s this kind of corruption. If you told him about this, he’d help you any way he could.” Connie hadn’t even finished everything he wanted to say before he saw the color drain from Sasha’s face.

 

“Your parents work for law enforcement?” She asked quietly.

“They do, but Sash they’ll fight for you. I’ll fight for you, too.” Connie grasped her hands to reassure her.

 

“Hey, sorry, I should have knocked but the door was open.” Jean leaned in the doorway. “ I don’t mean to interrupt but dinner is ready.”

 

Connie looked to his roommate, his hands still holding Sasha’s, and tried to play it cool. “OK, what’s for dinner?”

 

“Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.” Jean said.

 

“Real meatloaf or you-meatloaf?” Connie narrowed his eyes, unhanding Sasha.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course it’s real meatloaf.” Jean countered.

 

“Just checking because sometimes you feed us that meat replacement shit and it tastes like sawdust. Sawdust in the tastiest sauce, but still like a board.”

 

“Well I’m cooking for everyone, and you like to eat deceased creatures, so I cooked you a deceased creature and made the other sawdust for myself. Rolls and broccoli too, if you care.” Jean crossed his arms. Hitch called up from downstairs “IF YOU GUYS DON’T COME DOWN HERE AND EAT I’M GOING TO EAT YOURS TOO.”

 

“We’ll be right there. Give us half a minute.” Connie replied to his roommate. Jean nodded lightly and extracted himself from the doorway with a “Ok, but don’t be too long. I don’t know how long I can stall them.”

 

Connie watched him go before turning back to Sasha, who seemed at least mildly interested in the prospect of more food. “Yeah, we eat late sometimes.” He affirmed.

 

“I see that. Thank goodness. You’re my kind of people.” Sasha said quietly. “Connie promise me that you’ll do what you said.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Promise me that you’ll fight for me. I know that I have no right to ask you to defend me against your parents if they...took issue with me. I mean don’t fight them unless you have to. I couldn’t ask someone to do that. But I don’t think I can do this alone anymore. I thought I could, but I need someone in my corner and the world makes more sense with you in it. And I know this is all sudden and impulsive and you probably don’t even really trust me at all--”

 

“Sash, I’ll do it. I promise I’ll fight for you. No one should live in fear. This night...let’s call it the first one of the rest of your life, okay? Even if you make other friends and move on from me once you rebirth yourself, I’ll be glad to have helped you.”

“Don’t talk like that. It’s too soon for that. Just take it one day at a time, ok? And I’ll make it up to you. It’s a promise, ok?” Sasha said, extending her pinky finger to him.

 

Connie nodded. “Okay. Pinky swear. That’s how you know it’s serious.” He linked his pinky with hers and shook, smiling softly.

 

“May this be the first of many kept vows.” Sasha said with a smile, considerably brightening. “I think you’re one of the good guys, Connie. I won’t let you down.”

 

“Connie! Sasha! I can’t hold them back forever, dammit! Stop playing footsie and get down here!” Jean called up from downstairs.

 

“...the fuck is footsie?” Connie asked, despite himself.

 

Sasha narrowed her eyes at the doorway. “I’ll show you some other time. Let’s get food.”

 

“Race you.” Connie grinned.

 

“Already ahead of you.” Sasha was on her feet in an instant and halfway to the door before Connie could even find his feet.

 

“Ah! Damn you’re quick!” He said as he stumbled after her, and almost certainly to his doom.

 

 

 


	6. Ghosts, Gunshots, and the Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fall Festival Finally Arrives! Our heroes engage in some light-hearted seasonal fun and present their brand new stage show to fans to get the festival started! Will they accept a new member for a well established, well loved band? And how much criticism will their daring switch from instruments to dance choreography can a rock and roll band reasonably expect? All of the fun and worry takes a back seat though when the band receives a threat on their fan forums they can't ignore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEE!
> 
> Super long chapter this time because I've been writing this for a while a little at a time but life kept preventing me from posting it. SO SORRY to those who were following along, and I hope this makes up for the absence!

**CHAPTER SIX**

 

The Fall Festival arrived more quickly than anyone anticipated. The Jaegerbombs had been rehearsing five days a week, working five days a week, writing songs during breaks, sleeping like rocks, and sometimes woke up in Eren and Mikasa’s basement on the floor where they’d fallen asleep. Blessedly, while bruises were a regular occurrence, no one had injured themselves severely enough to restrict their mobility. 

 

Because it was a town festival and because the Hole in the Wall was one of its biggest sponsors, employees were paid overtime for helping with setup and food preparation. Hanji insisted that the food be as pumpkin or maple flavored as possible, which set Moblit into a fit trying to determine which ales would be most appropriate for the Beer Garden with those flavors in mind. The festival had food, carnival rides, a haunted forest, a haunted harbor, a traditional German Biergarten (thanks to Moblit’s insistence), a small stage for children’s theater, and the main stage for their contracted musical artists. In short, it was a massive undertaking and ‘the’ place to be in the first weekend of October. 

 

The morning started out with grey skies and flashes of bright yellow maple leaves as Hanji stood fidgeting in place next to the mayor on the stage of their opening ceremony. From their spot on stage, Hanji could survey the faces of 300 people as they waited excitedly to get in. Familiar faces, families, and the inevitable pack of tourists looking around with wide eyes and wider wallets. All of this was part of Hanji’s plan to bring in as much cash for the town as possible, and thus called in as many favors as possible to make it happen. They were confident in their abilities and their comrade’s penchants for pulling off the impossible with flying colors. 

 

Beside Hanji, Levi jumped and clapped his hands over his ears at the sudden report of fireworks that signaled the beginning of the festival. The crowd cheered. Hanji put a steadying arm around Levi as the gates and the ticket booths opened for business. 

 

“I’m sorry; I even knew they were coming that time.” Levi mumbled. 

 

“Don’t ever apologize. Ever. Ever-ever. Do you want me to get you some hot cider?” Hanji spoke quietly while waving to the crowd along with the rest of the town council. 

 

“If you wouldn’t mind. I think I’m going to sit over here and keep an eye out for a while.” Levi eyed the crowd the way a hawk observes a field mouse from the air. “Air feels full.” 

 

“There are a lot of people here all smashed together, so that’s accurate.” 

 

“No, more than that. I have a feeling.” Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Positive. Something’s up.” Levi grunted a little. “Fucking vagrants. Someone’s always got to ruin a good time.” 

 

“They’re called tourists, not vagrants Levi. And they’re going to make all this work worth it. Have a seat and I’ll be right back.” Hanji grinned widely to try and lighten the mood. Levi didn’t feel any lighter as Hanji hopped off the platform and disappeared into the crowd. 

 

* * *

_(Meanwhile...)_

 

“I don’t think going into the haunted forest before our set is a good idea.” Sasha stated over the lump in her throat. 

 

“It’s really not that scary, Sash. Not like the haunted harbor, anyway. Bertolt’s love for Stephen King novels really shines down there and I had nightmares for weeks the last time they let him plan it. It’s always the quiet ones, you know?” Connie linked arms with Sasha as the Jaegerbombs made their way to the haunted forest attraction with an hour to spare before their opening stage. 

 

“If this was designed to help calm our nerves before our set, it is possibly the stupidest idea you’ve had all day, Eren.” Armin groused as he slipped slightly on some wet leaves. 

 

Eren’s eyes were practically glowing with the light of excitement.  “Don’t be chicken, Armin. It’s actually a genius idea and I will tell you why. Once you’re faced with weirdos with chainsaws leaping out of nowhere and a bunch of creepy school children shrieking from random pits in the ground, suddenly dancing around on stage and singing won’t seem that bad.” 

 

“...Right. So. Like I said, stupidest idea today. Possibly ever, but I think I still have to give first place to the time you decided to shoot bottle rockets from a bow.” 

 

“There was no reasonable way I could have known there were geese out there on the lake. They were pretty mad, huh.” Eren remembered and winced slightly. 

 

“I might as well tell you now. I have no intention of partnering with you through this haunted forest.” Armin said.

 

“What?! But it’s tradition!” Eren frowned. 

 

“It is tradition for you to drag Armin through the woods while you’re screaming every year, you mean. I don’t blame him for saying no.” Jean chimed in, totally non-plussed by the idea of walking through the forest alone. 

 

“Please. I’m not afraid. I just don’t like jump scares.” Eren retorted.

 

“The haunted forest is entirely composed of jump scares, Eren. You might as well call it ‘the New England Jump Scare Experience.” Armin casually flanked Mikasa as they walked, opening the opportunity for her to partner with Eren. 

 

“Greeaat. I love jump scares.” Sasha grumbled, squeezing Connie’s arm a little tighter. He patted her arm reassuringly. 

 

“Just don’t knock anyone out; they’re only actors.” Connie replied. 

 

“I will be your guide this evening, Eren.” Mikasa stated. 

 

Eren frowned a bit before agreeing “OK. New tradition!” 

 

As they handed over their tickets and walked through the wooden gate, the Jaegerbombs-plus-manager-Connie fell silent and huddled a little closer together. The woods were wet and golden in the blue twilight, and a natural mist moved through on it’s own. Branches above them creaked as they ground against each other, squeaking and rustling in their entish language. The path ahead of them was lined with pumpkin luminaries as the group walked in silence. 

 

“It really is nice up here in the fall.” Sasha murmured. Connie nodded, nervously glancing around. Behind them, Jean began humming one of their songs. 

 

“Shouldn’t we have seen something by now?” Eren’s voice sounded more high pitched than usual. 

 

“We haven’t been walking that long.” Mikasa answered. 

 

“Maybe they’re too afraid to jump out at us because we’re so awesome.” Eren continued.

 

“I doubt that’s it.” Armin said flatly. 

 

“Did you guys hear that?!” Sasha hissed. The group stopped, straining to hear anything. Jean stopped humming. 

 

“I think it was just my stomach growling.” Eren answered. 

 

“Typical.” Jean said. 

 

“Hey at least I’m not so nervous I’m humming.” Eren teased. 

 

“I’m not humming anymore.” Jean said. 

 

“Shut up, yes you are.” Connie said. 

 

“It’s not me!” Jean said. “How can I be talking and humming at the same time!?” 

 

“OH MY GOD!” Eren shrieked as a figure pushing a wheelbarrow full of corpses materialized from the fog, picked up its pace and ran directly at the group who scattered like cockroaches when a light turns on. 

 

Sasha and Connie tore off to a path on the left, Armin and Jean stood their ground...mostly...as the figure ran passed them and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Mikasa and Eren were nowhere to be seen. 

 

“Hey! Everyone! Where’d you go?” Jean called out. “Come on guys, it wasn’t that scary. The dead guy was just humming some old Rush.” 

 

“I think that might be why they ran.” Armin grumbled. “I admit that surprised me, though. How did it appear so quickly?” 

 

“Probably just hiding behind one of these bigass trees.” Jean said. “Anyway, I don’t think we’re supposed to split the group up. We should probably wait until they come back.” 

 

“IF they come back. I don’t think I’ve seen Connie run that fast before. And I have no idea where Eren and Mikasa went. There’s no way he could have dragged her anywhere she didn’t want to go.” 

 

Jean was silent for a moment, staring at the ground. “Shouldn’t there be a tire track or something running through this mud?” 

 

“Hmm? There should be, yeah. Unless we trampled all over it running away.”

 

“No..this...this is definitely weird. I’ve lived here my whole life and I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t even look at us, you know? And what is that smell?” Jean was starting to ramble a little. 

 

“Yeah, that’s what costumes are for. Prosthetics. Theatrics. You can get any smell you want on the internet these days.” Armin attempted to calm Jean with logic. 

 

“Ok, you work with dead people. Don’t they smell like that? I mean. I consider you an authority in this matter. There should be a tire track here. Why isn’t there one?” 

 

“Jean, seriously. What’s gotten into you? I guess that smelled authentic, but it’s supposed to.” 

 

“I hear you, Armin. I know I’m not myself right now. Do ghosts have a smell?” 

 

“Assuming I believed in that sort of thing, I’d imagine they could.” 

 

“You’ve never encountered phantom smells before at the funeral home?” 

 

“There’s usually a pretty logical explanation for everything I’ve ever encountered ever.” Armin sighed. “In this situation, we’re in a haunted forest where we’ve paid people to terrify us, that requires a little extra care for those of us who have difficulty suspending belief for campy things like this.” 

 

“Hey, Jean. Armin. You guys can’t just stand here, we’ve got other groups waiting behind you guys. Keep moving through.” Behind them, Reiner walked up wearing a butchering apron covered in blood. Probably pig blood, at that.

 

“Yeah we know, the others just took off and we don’t know where they went.” Jean responded, once he’d convinced himself that it was actually Reiner speaking to them. 

 

“You haven’t even gotten to the first encounter and you’ve already split up?” Reiner laughed. 

 

“Yeah we did, wheelbarrow guy scared the hell out of us and now we’re just waiting to find the others.” Jean continued. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kirstein. The first encounter is about 30 yards ahead in the witch graveyard. Just keep moving and when I find the others I’ll send them after you and you can all meet up at the end.” Reiner said. 

 

“That isn’t funny, Braun. I’m telling you we’ve already found the first guy. That’s why they ran.” 

 

“And I’m telling you, scout’s honor, that there’s nothing in this area. If you saw someone here that shouldn’t be, then we need to report it because they aren’t allowed in this area unless they’re on the cast.” 

 

“I think you might have that situation on your hands then. This man was probably 6 feet tall, wearing fairly non-descript attire. It looked dirty, dark colors, possibly sailor in design. Dark hair, grey eyes, pushing a metal wheelbarrow...the old kind with the metal wheels. He had a white cloth on his face.” Armin offered the description, and Reiner removed the radio from his pocket to call it in. 

 

“Thanks. That’s annoying. What’s that smell, anyway?” Reiner continued. 

 

“Courtesy of your mystery guy.” Armin said. “We’ll move along now, thanks.” 

 

“See you guys at the end, then. Thank you.” Reiner walked back down the path towards the ticket booth, leaving Jean and Armin silent in the forest. 

 

“Hey, Min.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“How come I can still see Reiner, but I can’t see wheelbarrow guy? They went the same place didn’t they?” Jean’s face was pale. “Shouldn’t they have passed each other on the way?” 

 

“He was probably lying, Jean.” 

 

“I don’t think he was, Armin.” Jean’s voice was barely a whisper. 

 

“You don’t think that was a real ghost, do you? Come on, Jean. There’s no such thing.” Armin’s question hung in the air as the two stood in the autumnal silence of the woods. A light breeze carried the whispers of that awful corpselike smell back through the clearing.

 

“I...let’s get going. Now. Right now.” Jean picked up the pace and walked briskly down the path towards the witch’s graveyard encounter. As soon as they arrived, actors fell from low tree limbs and twitched in the air before hanging in the breeze. Jean shouted in surprise despite himself, despite knowing logically that wires and harnesses prevented the actors necks from snapping, his brain was already unsettled. So he ran. 

 

“Jean! Wait! REALLY You’re running?!” Armin ran after, his pace slower than Jean’s panicked gallop down the path. “Oh come on I didn’t bring my inhaler!” Armin heard one of the actors snicker at their expense as he did his best to catch up with Jean. In doing so, the two raced through every remaining encounter until they hit the end gate where Mikasa and Eren were waiting for them. 

Jean did his best impression of someone that was not just scared out of their mind and running for their life as soon as he saw Eren. Eren was doing his best impression of someone who definitely didn’t have tears on their face a moment or so earlier. Mikasa didn’t look any worse for wear than she did when they’d started aside from her hair being a little mussed. 

 

Armin plopped down by the gate, breathing hard and trying to catch his breath. This caused Eren to sit up quickly and scoot closer to him. 

 

“Hey are you alright?” Eren asked. Armin coughed over his breaths in response and laid down on his side to attempt to catch his breath. 

 

“...shit...that’s my fault..” Jean said. “Wait here; Annie has an inhaler. I’ll be right back!” He ran off more quickly than he had a moment prior when he was scared witless. Mikasa knelt down next to Armin and put a hand on his back to calm him. She knew that Armin didn’t understand how Reiki worked, but he’d also never said no to her before in her attempts to stave off illness from him. After a rough minute of coughing, Armin’s breathing began to calm. 

 

“Whew, that was close.” Eren said, also putting a hand on Armin’s shoulder but without the same level of effectiveness as Mikasa. “So we accidentally ran off the path and wound up outside the festival and had to come back in.” 

 

“What Eren is trying to say is that Eren intentionally ran from the scary thing, jumped a fence and wound up in the street in front of the bakery, so we ran back here to catch you guys. We heard an awful lot of yelling, but we haven’t seen Sasha or Connie.” 

 

“They might still be inside.” Jean rejoined them with Annie in tow. “Oh good, he looks better. I was worried we’d have to give him CPR.” 

 

“Jean you can’t give CPR to someone having an asthma attack.” Annie rolled her eyes.

 

“Not with that attitude, no.” Jean retorted. 

 

“No, with any attitude, rescue breathing might only help after they lose consciousness but only if they aren’t still having spasms. Chest compressions would be incredibly stupid for someone who can’t breathe because their airways are closed. Way to make it worse.” Annie knelt down beside Armin to hand him her inhaler. 

 

“Hey, I’m ok. This will help though, thank you.” Armin eased himself up and puffed the inhaler until he could breathe properly. 

 

“So, if that was Annie’s inhaler wasn’t that like an indirect kiss?” Eren snorted.

 

“If we were playing ‘spot the infant’, I think I would have won just now.” Annie said. 

“Sorry, just trying to make light of a crap situation. Anyone seen Connie or Sasha?” Eren said. 

 

“I haven’t seen them since the ghost attacked us.” Jean muttered. 

 

“I know...that was crazyyyyy.” Eren said. “I knew our haunted forest was good, but that was super good. He must have vanished into a pit or something, corpses and all.” 

 

Jean made a face and covered his mouth before turning away sharply. 

 

“What’s with him?” Mikasa asked. “Is he sick?”

 

“He thinks the ghost was real.” Armin explained. 

 

“No way!” Eren’s eyes went wide. 

 

“Yes, way. I think he might be right.” Sasha added, popping up from the opposite side of the exit with a milkshake in hand. 

 

“There you are!” Mikasa said. 

 

“Yeah, when the ghost came out of nowhere like that Sasha decided the woods wasn’t for her so we went and got snacks to calm down.” Connie explained, munching on a corn dog.

 

“Reiner told us that the ghost we encountered was not part of the exhibit, so they’re going to hunt for the perpetrator before they walk more people through. Hooligans ruining things for everyone and all. “ Armin was breathing normally now as if nothing had happened. 

 

“Right, well as long as everyone’s ok I have to get back to the kid’s stage. We’re about to perform a rousing rendition of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Annie said, pocketing her inhaler. 

 

“Thanks Annie but we have to get ready now. We have a killer set planned; you won’t want to miss it.” Eren grinned. Annie nodded and walked away.

 

“Ugh, I don’t know how I’m going to calm my nerves enough to perform. I feel nauseous.” Jean groaned. 

 

“Think of it this way. We just went through some crazy stuff, and we’ll all be on stage supporting each other through even crazier stuff. “ Armin offered.

 

“Like tons of fanservice.” Mikasa offered. 

 

“And I can always just banish an evil spirit so they won’t come near us anyway.” Sasha said matter of factly. 

 

“Really?” Jean was intrigued. 

 

“Yah. So just relax and enjoy performing and I’ll teach you how later.” Sasha slurped down the last of her milkshake. 

 

“This is the weirdest conversation we’ve had in a while and as much as I don’t want it to end, you guys have to get dressed like...now.” Connie said, looking at his watch. The others, realizing what time it was, hurried off to their trailer to prepare themselves.

 

* * *

 

 

It was the first time the Jaegerbombs had ever opened a set without using their instruments. Instead, they stood in a formation on the stage in low light, strobes flashing and bright back lights illuminating their dark silhouettes. Mikasa and Sasha outfitted them in form fitting leather and flowing black fabric that featured small silver skull accents to stick with the Halloween theme. Jean had spiked his hair into a striking fauxhawk with white hair spray and spiked earrings. He favored leather jackets, skinny denim pants with tears in the knees, and a tank top with a brightly painted skull on it. Armin’s hair was textured and drawn back and out of his face into a small pony tail, and he sported several earrings on each ear; one of which featured a cuff with a chain connecting it to a small skull post on the bottom. Keeping with the Halloween theme, he wore a black linen Rennaissance type shirt that was slightly open in the front and leather pants with chunky boots. Eren, not to be outdone by Jean, wore a translucent black shirt that displayed his core muscle set, and bright red pants with plaid boots. He styled his hair away from his forehead and parted it on the side...a simple style but one that suited him so well that Mikasa struggled to do his make up properly.  Sasha let her hair hang long and wavy, which fell just above the small of her back. Mikasa added red extensions to her hair (to match Eren), which was pulled back in a severe ponytail and crimped the entire length to its end just above her hips. 

 

No one escaped the tyranny of Mikasa’s eyeliner, nor her make up skills. In short, the Jaegerbombs looked very different from their grungier rocker image; they looked more polished and frankly beautiful. And here they were, on stage without instruments and an additional member preparing to sink or swim with their longtime fans. 

 

The audience was silent, unsure of what they were seeing, anticipating...until  Sasha and Mikasa’s voices together rang out with a musical scale that quickly led into the high energy performance that was their newest song. Mikasa had shamelessly stolen choreo from VIXX’s Error, which was one of her favorite dances she’d been itching to perform. At this point, the group moved like a machine; every pop and lock synchronized so well that none could deny Sasha’s integral part in moving these cogs. The audience shrieked with delight as Eren and Jean performed robotic moves neither had known they were capable of until everyone was singing and dancing hard. Despite the merciless succession of rapid movements and footwork, the group sang live and kept up the pace to the end of the song which left them breathless and frozen in place, waiting with some degree of fear for the reaction. 

 

They didn’t have to wait; as soon as the final beat struck and the lights went down as they hit their last pose, the audience roared in approval once the initial shock wore off. Mikasa grinned at the group in the low light and winked at them before walking towards the audience. 

 

“Hello and good evening, everyone! We are the act you’ve all been waiting for: The Jaegerbombs After Dark! If you weren’t aware of that allow me to welcome you to the rest of your life within the Jaegerbombs fandom. Please keep in mind this show is aimed at mature audiences, so if you’re here we assume you’re allowed to be and we won’t be curbing our fucking language.” Mikasa’s smile was as genuine and clear as her voice. “You might notice that we’ve traded our instruments for a new member for this very special performance, but never fear! The music you hear was written, performed, and recorded by us so that we could also demonstrate our devastatingly impressive choreography.” 

 

The rest of the band walked up to stand beside Mikasa as she spoke, watching the audience. Sasha balled her hands into fists nervously, but smiled so large her eyes twinkled in the stage lights. 

 

“So while we catch our breath a moment, there are two important orders of business. “ Mikasa continued. “ The first is the privilege of allowing me to introduce our newest member, Sasha! Everyone please take care of her!” The audience applauded, and Sasha curtseyed politely with a little wave. “ Sasha and myself penned that last song in less than 24 hours, so I anticipate many good things for this group in our future. Please join us in looking forward to it!” 

 

Eren finally spoke up. “Yes! We are the Jaegerbombs, mostly because my name is awesome and no one knew how to spell Kirstein the same way more than once. I’m Eren.” 

 

“I’m Jean; it’s French. Unlike my last name. Never fear though; I tend to emphasize the French in me and you’ll learn that soon enough.” Jean said. 

 

“I’m Armin; I lived through that dance experience and Jean’s introduction somehow.” Armin nodded his head to the audience. 

 

“I’m Sasha, and I’m excited to meet you!” Sasha bounced in place a little, trying to keep her dialect tamed. 

 

“And I’m Mikasa, and we’re about to begin our first game for the weekend. That’s right, we do this all for you fans. Join our fanclub and send us suggestions and if we like your idea, we just might do it on stage for you. There’s still time to place requests for tomorrow’s show so please get on those e-forums and we’ll see about making some dreams come true.” 

 

“That’s right. We love our fans. Our first game for the evening is what, Mikasa?” Eren said. 

 

“One of my favorite embarrassing games to ever exist for stage groups, and we’re going to perform it for you all this evening.” Mikasa held up a piece of paper. “The paper passing game!” 

Armin audibly groaned into his microphone and hung his head. 

 

“It’s not that bad, Min. Remember, you control the paper so if you mess up, you only have yourself to blame.” Mikasa turned back to the audience. “The game is passed by passing a paper between the mouths of our bandmates by alternatively sucking and blowing back and forth. The challenge is not to screw up and drop the paper. Tonight we will do this once to show you how it’s done. Tomorrow night we’ll go again and draw ticket numbers from audience members and those winners will get to participate with us and join us on stage, so make sure you make it back to us in one piece. I’ve heard rumors about the haunted forest already.” 

 

In the audience, there were a chorus of high pitched squeals, and Jean found himself smirking. “To be totally fair, we’ll draw lots to determine which order we’ll be standing in so there isn’t any bias or favoritism.” He winked at the audience before pulling sticks from his pocket and offering them to his bandmates. 

 

“Can I be excluded due to not meeting the height requirement?” Armin asked. The audience laughed and boo’d. 

 

“You heard them, Min. They want you to play, so you play.” Eren grinned. Armin sighed and drew a popsicle stick from Jean. The group quickly conferred with one another and stood in order: Sasha, Mikasa, Jean, Eren, and Armin. 

 

“Alright, let’s get our manager up here to tell us when to start.” Mikasa said. Connie walked on stage and picked up a corded microphone. 

 

“Okay, I’ve never done this before so I hope for your sakes you guys have.” Connie said. “Are you guys ready?” Nodding heads, except for Armin who frowned. “Ready, set, go!” 

 

Sasha stuck the paper to her face, which was approximately the size of her head and restricted her vision significantly until Mikasa grabbed her shoulders to guide her. Mikasa turned her head to rotate the paper to increase her vision and sucked the paper from Sasha’s mouth as a majority of their male fans (and a couple females) cheered. Sasha, who was not used to this kind of contact, erupted into laughter while Mikasa spun to face Jean who was wearing the face a deer makes when it hears a gunshot. Partially because she knew it would get a rise from her fans, partly because she knew it would fluster Jean, and mostly because she hoped it would make Eren jealous, Mikasa wrapped her arms around Jean’s neck and planted the paper to his lips firmly...and probably longer than was absolutely necessary. Jean’s sharp intake of breath worked in his favor, as the paper was now his. He just couldn’t remember what to do with it. Next to him, Eren pulled on his sleeve and cleared his throat. Jean was still so stunned he stared at Eren blankly, so Eren flailed a little and gestured to his mouth. He finally shook his head and pulled Jean down to his level via Jean’s necktie and sucked the paper away from him. This time, the cheers from the audience were decidedly female in tone. Connie rolled his eyes. 

 

Eren turned to Armin with every intention of milking the situation as much as possible, but Armin was already in his face and removing the paper before Eren had a moment to register what had happened. Armin pulled the paper from his mouth and held it up to the audience, relief and triumph on his face. 

 

“There you go, Bombsquad.” Connie spoke into the microphone again, using the now-official name of their fans (regardless of Eren’s feelings on the name). “If you think you can do better than the Jaegerbombs, place your ticket stubs into this bucket we’re passing around and you might win a chance to try again tomorrow night. For right now we’re rolling right along into our next song; Cloudbreak!!!” Connie popped the mic back into its stand and hopped off the stage to make room while the Jaegerbombs took their places. 

 

Jean was not having a good night, all things considered. He was still flustered from the haunted forest, nervous about their new look and performance, and now he couldn’t stop blushing. He took his place behind Armin to begin the dance and tried to focus his attention literally anywhere else other than his racing thoughts, and decided at last on the bandmate in front of him. Armin brushed some stray bangs out of his eyes as he tweaked his starting pose, his golden locks catching in the glare of the foot lights. Jean hadn’t realized a lot of things before, but one of those things was just how good Armin looked in eyeliner, or how his skin gleamed with a thin sheen of sweat. In those few seconds, Armin was transformed into something other; neither male nor female, but intensely striking in a way that surprised Jean. Still, undefined feelings were far better than embarrassment, so he decided to focus on Armin’s temporary foray into androgyny. On stage, it was easy to forget who you were because once you were putting on a show, nothing else mattered. And just  like that, Jean and the Jaegerbombs were completely engrossed in their performance. 

 

Jean had seen and performed this dance over a hundred times now. He had bruised palms and knees to show for it. It was already locked within his muscle memory, but tonight something clicked for him. His movements became more fluid, and whether it was his own tension or the rush from being on stage, he realized he was totally comfortable with touching Eren and doing his best to sell his performance. Around him, he found his bandmates comfortably on the same page. What he was not comfortable with was realizing how often his eyes found themselves watching Armin; his movements, the look on his face when he was performing, the intensity of his gaze, and the total absence of hesitation when it came to thrusting his hips to the floor the way Jean had taught him to do, the arch of his back when he rolled his body. Instead of feelings of pride for his friend who had finally figured things out, he found himself swallowing down a hard lump in his throat. As they finished the song, Jean was starting to understand that he might have a problem. Friends were not typically overwhelmed with the urge to touch friends. They didn’t imagine themselves in scenarios that were inappropriate for ‘just friends’.He pushed the ideas down beneath the pressure of performance and prayed they stayed there.    
  
Connie, who had seen their rehearsal countless times, was surprised by the sudden increase in the chemistry of the group. He’d never seen Eren and Jean drop their friendly rivalry and swap it out for fanservice with each other with such conviction. Even stranger, he’d never seen Armin smoulder like that before and fans were taking notice. Connie reminded himself that if *he* noticed something, others had probably known for a while.The Jaegerbombs weren’t just a machine anymore; they were art in motion. 

One song followed another, into another, until Sasha got to have the stage all to herself to showcase her vocal ability while the others slid backstage to catch their breath and change quickly into their next stage outfit. Eren stubbornly kept a water bottle in his mouth the entire time he was changing so that he could be more ‘efficient’ and ‘hydrate and transform’ simultaneously. Mikasa took the opportunity to take a backstage selfie, while Armin laid directly on the floor in a state of half dress and defeat. Jean caught himself staring at Armin and preoccupied himself with his phone instead.

“Hey guys.” Jean looked up from his phone and looked around at his bandmates. “You ever just get a really sudden uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know something is wrong but you don’t know what it is?” 

 

“Usually on taco night.” Eren replied, pulling a shirt on around his water bottle. 

 

“It wasn’t a real ghost, Jean.” Armin said from his pile on the floor.

 

“Okay but I feel like we’re being watched.” Jean looked around.

 

“We were on stage. Of course we were.” Armin flailed an arm around to locate his cell phone and held it over his face. “Oh hey, my parents are coming home tonight. Fancy that.” 

 

“No it’s more than that…”Jean started and stopped when Armin abruptly sat up, wideyed.

 

“We just got our very first death threat on our fan forums.” Armin breathed. The other three ran over and crowded around Armin’s phone to read it, completely ignoring the fact that they each had their own phones. 

 

“What the fuck?!” Eren said, a little too loudly. “I can’t read it Jean’s head is in the way. What does it say?”

 

“It says ‘ _ It’s one thing to give work to a criminal; it’s another to place her where anyone could find her. It’s good you have a connection for cheap caskets; you’re going to need it.’ _ ” Armin read it aloud as clearly as possible, gritting his teeth toward the end. Mikasa stood up quickly. “Oh look, they even added five little skull emoji. Charming.”

 

“We have to get Sasha off the stage.” Mikasa was halfway to the trailer door before Jean stepped in front of her.

 

“Ok, but we can’t panic the crowd either. Let’s just end the show early and get out of here.” Jean attempted reason for the first time that evening.

 

“Jean’s right. We can’t react out of fear, but we can’t keep her in danger longer than necessary.” Armin tossed his phone aside and hurriedly pulled his shirt on. “I’ll go tell Connie immediately so he can coordinate with his father to tighten security. Let’s just do the last two songs as best we can and explain we’re saving the rest for tomorrow.” The blonde ran out of their trailer more quickly than anyone could remember seeing him run. 

 

“Should we let him go alone? It’s dangerous…” Jean hesitated. 

 

“I think Sasha is in more danger directly than he is. Mikasa isn’t a criminal, and Sasha is the only other “she” and we honestly don’t know her well enough yet to say she hasn’t committed a crime.”

 

“Okay but did you see what Armin was wearing on stage? They could have easily mistaken her for a she. Him. For a she. And they referenced his family business.” Jean continued, lacing up his boots quickly. 

 

“If you want to follow him to stay in pairs that’s probably a good idea. We’ll meet you on stage in about two minutes. Eren and my duet is next.” Mikasa said as the three of them stepped out of the trailer and parted ways. Jean nodded and ran off in the direction Armin had taken moments earlier. Eren and Mikasa high fived Sasha on her way off the stage, instructing her to stay close to Connie and make him follow her to the trailer to stand watch while she changed for the next number. Sasha nodded, her post-performance smile fading as she walked over to where Connie, Jean, and Armin were talking. 

 

“Hey Con, Mika says you should stand watch while I change. You will have to fill me in on what’s going on.” Sasha kept her voice low, but her eyes were wide and frightened. Jean put a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“Fans can be weird Sasha. Min and I will go with you. Extra protection just in case. And Connie has to stage manage at the moment.” 

 

Armin winced. Jean always meant well, but he wasn’t always tactful. 

 

“What do I need protecting from, Jean?” Sasha’s voice was starting to shake. 

 

“We’ve always had an even number in our group, Sasha.” Armin tried. “We’re doing a new concept tonight and you should not be out back alone to change. That’s just irresponsible. All for one and one for all and all that.”

 

Sasha didn’t seem convinced, but she exhaled the breath she’d been holding in. “Alright, let’s hurry then.” 

 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Connie called his father to report the threat and kept an eye on the crowd. He caught Levi’s stare from the sidelines, who immediately began to walk in Connie’s direction without needing a single word exchanged. 

 

The Jaegerbombs were professionals on stage, and all five of them decided to steel themselves and perform as though nothing unusual had occurred. It was a small town, and it was possible that it was just someone trolling on the internet. Without so much as a delay, they carried on their performance seamlessly into the next song, which was Sasha’s adaptation of Nu’est’s Action choreography to one of their older, grungier sounding songs. Connie wanted to sit and observe because the group was truly a spectacle to behold, but Levi was busy hunting down the IP address of the author of their threat on his tablet and had instructed Connie to keep his eyes carefully on the audience for suspicious behaviour while he searched. After the song’s conclusion, Mikasa walked to the edge of the stage to address the audience.

 

“What up Bombsquad?! Did you guys enjoy our performance?” Mikasa flashed a winning smile to the audience and paused. “ I said, did you guys enjoy our performance?!” The audience roared for her. From somewhere in the back, a deep voice shouted “MARRY ME!”, and Mikasa chuckled.

 

“Dinner first!” Eren called back, and more laughter ensued. 

 

“Or maybe you’ll be the lucky one to have your ticket number drawn. We’ll see! Come to tomorrow night’s show and bring your ticket stubs from tonight and Connie might just draw your number!” 

 

The Jaegerbombs lined up arm in arm and bowed, flashing winning smiles at their fans who threw a combination of roses and autumn leaves onto the stage. Sasha jumped when a full bouquet landed at her feet. Connie hopped up onstage to bow with them for round two, then scooped up the bouquet, checked it quietly to assure its safety, then handed it to Sasha with a smile. 

 

The group escaped backstage to change into street clothes in their trailer with Connie, Levi, and Annie standing guard outside. The entire group opted to wear hoodies and non-descript clothing, and exited the trailer directly into the conversation none of them wanted to have. 

 

“What’s the situation, Connie?” Eren asked immediately. 

 

“So far nothing.” Connie shrugged. 

 

Levi looked up. “I’ll find them, wherever they are, whoever they are. All I know is that this was posted from a cell phone, so whoever it was was somewhere in this town because the signal bounce was local. It’s a burner phone, so the number doesn’t matter at all. I think it’s best that you all stick together and stay someplace safe tonight that isn’t your usual.”

 

“Ok, like where?” Jean asked, quietly texting Marlowe. 

 

“Your mom’s house. Armin’s house. My house. Hanji’s house. Annie has volunteered her place too since her dad is out of town.” Levi replied, not looking up from the glow of his tablet. 

 

“My parents will be coming home late tonight, so they’ll probably want to sleep and not be kept up by our youthful antics. My place is out.” Armin shrugged. 

 

“Why will no one tell me what’s going on?” Sasha crossed her arms. 

 

“It’s not that we won’t tell you; it’s that we need to find a safehouse for tonight to discuss it.” Connie tried. 

 

“A safehouse? Are fans really that insane?” she continued. 

 

“We received a death threat that named you presumably and me indirectly on our fan forums tonight. I’d honestly be more concerned if we didn’t have as many friends in high places as we do, so this is just a precaution.” Armin said with a practiced "I'm sorry for your loss" tone.

 

“Connie what the fuck? What do I do?!” Sasha turned to him immediately, as though he somehow held all of the answers she needed to remain calm. He pulled her close to him tightly and wrapped his coat around her in response. 

 

“We just wait it out, Sasha. People are assholes, but remember my dad is already on patrol and he has already called for backup from the state troopers. It’s a shitty situation, but we’re still in a position of power here.” Connie stroked her hair a little to soothe her. She was shaking and he couldn’t blame her. 

 

“Listen, my dad might be out of town but he’s a card carrying NRA member...our house is a fortress. We have a veritable arsenal and you’re welcome to hide in our bunker.” Annie volunteered. “By the way, you guys did incredibly well tonight. Adding more girls was definitely the right answer. Three is better than one.” 

 

Sasha peeked out of Connie’s coat. “But we only have two? And you really thought it was good?”

 

“I was counting Armin. He did real well for someone who nearly had an asthma attack earlier in the night.” Annie grinned.

 

“Bite me.” Armin glanced up from his phone. Jean considered it briefly, then jerked Armin closer to him by way of pulling his arm. Before Jean could stop himself, he nipped Armin's neck in what he was praying came off as a playful manner. It probably appeared playful to everyone else, but Jean realized his mistake as soon as he'd lingered just a hair longer than he should have. Armin froze, increasing his grip on his cell phone so much that he accidentally turned it off. 

 

“Jesus, Jean. Not in front of the kids.” Armin tried to play it off, but his voice cracked a little. That was enough to make Eren laugh and break the tension. Jean found himself feeling grateful for Eren’s gift for dispelling awkward situations due to cluelessness. He unhanded Armin and grinned at the group.

 

“I know what Jean’s gonna be for Halloween!” Eren ribbed Mikasa. “Totally a fucking vampire. Emphasis on the fu--” 

 

Connie cut him off quickly as he answered his cell phone. “Shut up Eren, hold on. Yeah, pop?...when?...I see...ok...yeah I think we will. Uhm...yeah we probably don’t have enough room and wouldn’t want to impose on you and mom. Yeah we’ll be ok. I think we’re staying with Annie tonight. Yeah I’ll text you the address. Alright thanks. Bye.” 

 

As Connie hung up the phone, he could feel all eyes on him. “Yeah, shots fired at The Hole in the Wall Tonight. No one was injured because everyone was here. They’re assessing the property damage. Annie...you mind if we crash with you tonight?” 

 

For a few moments, all smiles faded and no one could breathe.

* * *

 

 

Oh gods I am so sorry. But I'm also not sorry. Thank you for hanging in with me through this garbage. <3

Here are the fun choreographies you should know for those of you that are visual people and like to see what I'm talking about. These are the dance versions, but do look up the official MV if you like the song. :)  
  
From last Chapter, but important for Cloudbreak: [HISTORY Might Just Die](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa7QfiKGvfk&list=RDSa7QfiKGvfk)

[VIXX Error Choreography  
](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2xWE3zE7DQ) [NU'EST Action](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utyi1VU6aAU)

I know I'm trash, but I hope you're all having senseless fun like me! 


	7. The Longest Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immediately following the threat to their lives, the Jaegerbombs bunker down at Annie's place to try and relax and discuss whether or not they'd be appearing on stage tomorrow. Will it be their last night together among the living?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this in advance. I am not romantic, I do not write romance, and I do not write ships until this little challenge. 
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Godspeed.

CHAPTER 7 

 

“What’s up, Marlowe?” Connie answered his phone.

 

“You’re supposed to say “What’s up, Marlowe OVER.” his roommate replied. 

 

“...this isn’t a radio..”

 

“Please?”

 

“Fine. What’s up, Marlowe? Over” 

 

“Mission protect and monitor the home front is going well. I have arranged 10 different security cameras, five of which are on our house. Four of which are on Mikasa’s house, and one is on Jean’s mother’s house. That’s all I could get up before she tried to hit me with a broom but she let me keep it up for Jean’s sake.” Marlowe had an array of computer monitors in front of him, each of them showing video streams from all of his various security cameras. “Obviously these are motion detector cameras, state of the art high definition. If I see anything suspicious, it will go directly to Chief Springer and I’ll send the clip to you as well. Over.” 

 

“Alright, well things are quiet at the Leonhardt residence. Moblit was able to review the tape at the club and we’re running the plates on that car now. We’ll see where it goes. Over.” Connie walked a line on the floor, while the rest of his friends had deflated on random furniture in Annie’s living room. 

 

“Roger that, Eagle One. I’ll report back if I hear anything immediately. Over.” Marlowe began searching for live traffic cameras around town and setting up a fourth monitor.

 

“Thanks Marlowe. It means a lot. Over.”

 

“Eagle Two, please. Over.” 

 

“Thank you Eagle Two. I am changing your ringtone in my phone to the theme from Top Gun. Over.”

 

“Take my breath away, Eagle One. Over and out.” Marlowe ended the call and tossed his phone on his perfectly made bed with his carefully pressed sheets and cracked open a bottle of Mountain Dew for his All-Night Stake-out. The door creaked open a little to reveal Hitch peeking in. 

 

“Is all of that really necessary?” Hitch stuck her head inside the doorframe and sipped on her smoothie. 

 

“Yes of course.” Marlowe tried not to sound irritated as he wrestled with the wires on the fourth monitor. 

 

“Ah. This looks like it’s actually serious then. Want company? I brought a book.” Hitch raised a medium sized bag of manga and smiled. Marlowe smirked. 

 

“Sure. I’ll probably need help staying awake. Sometimes justice alone doesn’t suffice to keep me motivated.” 

 

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Hitch grinned and hopped up into his bed and pulled the blankets back, up, and over and made herself a little reading nest. Marlowe inwardly sighed. The longest night had begun.

 

* * *

 

“So what do we do?” Eren was the first to speak from his throne-like recliner, beer in one hand and a bag of twizzlers in his lap. 

 

“About the threat?” Mikasa looked up from her knitting. “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do. They’re not sure the shooting and the threat are related, but no one was hurt. They could be a lot of hot air; all huff and puff and no blow.”   
  
Connie didn’t know what to do about any of it. He hadn’t really considered himself anything but an honorary manager who helped them get gigs, but when it came down to it there was no label they were signed to; no orders from above to help him navigate this situation. It was just him. He was just Connie; the guy who cooks the food and makes people laugh. This was the first time he’d felt it within him; that small fire that dared to suggest he could lead and shield them from whatever this was. They were his friends and their lives were suddenly on the line. It was inconceivable. What could he reasonably do to protect them? Seated next to him on the old wooden framed couch, Sasha was shaking quietly. His heart ached to know that she was sitting so close and trembling like a frightened rabbit, but her thoughts were so far away. How could he even begin to protect her?

 

“I think we should treat it seriously.” Jean said from the kitchen as he leaned on the counter. Annie pulled a glass down from a cabinet and poured some tap water for herself. She drank quietly to listen. “Someone could have been seriously hurt tonight at the club and that someone is still out there. And anyway, what did they mean by criminal? None of us are criminals.”

 

“You don’t know that for certain.” Sasha spoke so lightly you might have been able to spin a web from them. 

 

“Oh come on Sasha, what’s the worst you’ve ever done? Double parked?” Jean said.

 

“No, I’ve never double pahked.” Sasha returned, not ready to let go of Jean’s teasing over her dialect. Jean made a face. “But I have had some...run ins with the law.”

 

“Oh, it’s story time.” Eren sipped his beer and watched Sasha. Her shoulders sagged a little, along with her eyelids as her gaze moved to rest upon her shoes. Connie was overwhelmed, knowing that this conversation was internally causing a storm of emotions for her. He didn’t think about the consequences before he slid his hand into hers and held it with both of his hands. 

 

“You don’t have to tell them anything you’re not ready to. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Connie said. He could feel all of the eyes in the room shift to him, questioning. 

 

“Connie knows and we don’t know?” Eren blinked. 

 

“It sounds pretty sensitive, Eren. I’m sure Connie had a good reason.” Mikasa set her knitting down and moved to flank Sasha on the couch, sitting close enough to place a reassuring hand on her back. 

 

“I...didn’t want to trouble you all. And ah was a little embarassed and skeert. Y’all were so nice to me and ah was on the run and you just took me right in without question. Y’all adopted me into this lil dream we’re all livin in like we might BE somethin’.” The longer Sasha spoke, the more intense her dialect became. Her voice became shallow and uncertain. She swallowed. “I been harassed by these crooked cops from my hometown. They are dead set on making my life a living hell cause they don’t like hearin’ no. That’s it. They turned my ma’s disappearance from our family tragedy into their personal vendetta to frame my paw so there would be no one left to defend me. Ah ain’t done a damn thing and ah miss my paw like crazy but I can’t ever go back. If they’re callin me a criminal tho, they found me here. I don’t know ...how...but...ah...god WHY?!?” Sasha pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face into them, unable to control the level of her voice or her tears. “WHAT did ah EVER do to deserve this?! Ah just want mah FAMILY back and that’s just fine anyone would but NOW. NOOOOOW this just takes the cake because you good people been threatened right along side me and you done even LESS shit than me. What kind of fucking twisted God would allow this to happen to good people like you? Ah get it ah’m less than slime but can we please get some divine protection for mah friends?? If any of y’all get hurt because of me I don’t know what ah’ll do ah...just…” Sasha tripped over her words into heaving sobs. 

 

Mikasa and Connie exchanged glances and wrapped Sasha in a two sided hug. Eren put his drink down and leaned far forward in his chair, quiet. Jean’s features softened as he walked into the living room to wrap a blanket over her and sit at Sasha’s feet; not close enough to crowd her, but close enough that she might realize he was there. Armin watched them from a cautious distance as he digested this new information. It was Annie that spoke first.

 

“Sasha if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s when people abuse the trust of the people who put them in power. You are safe in my home and you are welcome here. No one will harm you here; honestly they wouldn’t even make it up the driveway.” Annie walked over to a white box that was wired to the wall by the door. “Alright listen up: no one leaves this house without my permission and no one enters it without the same. I am punching in our highest security code, so please take this seriously.” 

 

“I may need to leave later for an errand.” Armin stated. 

 

“We’ll deal with it when the time comes. Mikasa, why don’t you help Sasha with the jacuzzi tub. I’m going to get some things from the basement. You all can go wherever you want in the house; just stay out of my dad’s room and office.” Annie set her glass down on the counter and opened the door to the basement. 

 

“What’s in the basement?” Eren asked.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Annie replied flatly and disappeared into the darkness below. 

 

Mikasa nodded to Connie. “Come on, Sasha. You’ll feel a lot better after a bath and we’ll make some food.” 

 

“Not hungry.” Sasha whispered. 

 

“Not yet. You will be.” Mikasa deftly slid Sasha into a princess carry, much to Sasha’s surprise...and Jean’s as well as he was nearly kicked in the head. “Connie bring me some towels.” 

Connie nodded, still unsure if he was being helpful or just being a warm body in the room. He followed the two of them into the bathroom in Annie’s bedroom. Connie wasn’t sure what to expect in Annie’s room, so anything would have been a surprise. Apart from her bed which was made and complete with sleeping tabby cat, the room was disorganized. Multiple band posters covered one wall in a gigantic collage. For a girl he’d thought of as being a tough cookie, she had an awful lot of plush toys arranged on her bed. 

 

“In here, please.” Mikasa called from the bathroom. Connie walked into the bathroom and was surprised even moreso by the bathroom than he was by the plushie village. The entire thing was pastel pink and porcelain and burnished gold. There was a walk in shower with frosted feathers painted upon the glass door, and a massive jacuzzi tub complete with candles and every bath product you could imagine. Everything in this bathroom was organized and sparkling. 

 

“Towels Connie. That’s what you’re here for.” Mikasa reminded him. 

 

“Ah, right...sorry…” Connie guessed that if you were really obsessed with your bathroom functioning well you’d have towels in the closet, so he took a guess and opened the closet door to reveal pink and white towels in perfect symmetrical order. “Huh.” 

 

“What?” Mikasa called, helping Sasha remove her shoes.

 

“Did you have any idea Annie was this serious about her bathroom? I mean, is there a word for people obsessed with bathrooms?” 

 

“I’m not sure...but can you pass me a towel and a washcloth?”

 

“Sure. Right.”

 

“Don’t worry, Sasha he’s leaving soon.” Mikasa said as she wiped some of the mascara rich tear trails on Sasha’s face. Connie felt his heart drop a little. 

 

“Does he have to? I mean...wait...well..can he stay nearby? Like in the room right there?” Sasha croaked. 

 

“I guess he could if you wanted him to.” Mikasa raised an eyebrow at Connie as she started the bathwater running.. 

 

“Yes of course. I’ll just sit right on the other side of the door, ok?” Connie handed Mikasa the towels and tried to issue his best reassuring smile. 

 

“Thank you. Mikasa I can handle it from here. Please uh...tell the others I’m sorry.” Sasha slid her socks off. Mikasa nodded and hugged her, then quickly took her leave. 

 

Connie sat on the opposite side of the bathroom door, staring at the plushie pile and wondering what that was all about. Behind him, he could hear Sasha changing and tried to distract himself with the pile of stuffed animals. 

 

“Con are you still there?” 

 

“Yeap. You ok?” 

 

“Yeah. Just...making sure.” 

 

“I’m here. You know Annie has a hell of a lot of stuffed animals. I didn’t really peg her as the type.” 

 

“Are they cute?”

 

“Subjectively, yes.”

 

“Subjectively? Can’t you just say they’re cute?”

 

“Alright. At least two qualify as hella cute. One of them might even be kawaii.” Connie wrinkled his nose. He didn’t say “kawaii” often, and when he did it always sounded wrong. Sasha laughed, and Connie felt relief wash over him a little. He heard her gasp lightly as she slid into the tub, and he had to bite his lip to prevent himself from imagining it. He took a deep breath and measured his exhale, scrambling to pull his mind from dangerous ground.

 

In his mind, this was just not the right time to tell her how he felt about her. Not only was this far too awkward for a confession, but she was terrified and he seemed to be filling the role of comfort object. Her tragedy was simply not the time for him to think of his own personal needs and he was not about to break her trust. It was fragile enough as it is. What if she up and left? Would she do that? She left her beloved father behind; why couldn’t she leave some guy she just met who gave her food and shelter? That was the problem, too. The power dynamic between them felt off; if she felt pressured to return his feelings simply because he had done these things for her he wouldn’t be happy. Slowly, he began to resign himself  to the idea that his feelings for her were something he simply couldn’t act upon. Not now, anyway. 

 

“Hey, Con?”

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Thanks for always being there for me. I’ve never had a friend like you before and it really means a lot.” 

 

Friend. The word hit his guts with the force of an oar to a wave. Friend was good. Friend might mean that she would entertain staying instead of going. It might mean that he’d get to spend his life moving forward with her in it somehow. Friend. 

 

It might also mean that a friend would be all he’d ever be to her, and while that was logically acceptable to him, his heart wanted to cry. He could feel it rising from his gut; the tidal wave of quiet rejection as it sought to herald the death of possibility. But of course...you don’t ask someone you’re crushing on to stand watch while you take a bath. A thin smile spread across his face as he called back. 

 

“I’ve never had a friend like you either. And I’d do anything to keep a friend like you in my life. Anything.” He replied, every word an absolute truth. He would swallow whatever emotion he needed to. He was so busy fussing over how she might have received his response that he didn’t realize that she hadn’t responded yet. 

 

“Do you think that if I left you all would be safe?” She asked quietly, running her fingers through the hot water, her voice barely audible above the sound of the jets. 

 

“No.” He replied without another thought. 

 

“Are you saying that just to keep me here?” 

 

“Well...no...and yes...but no. I think you’re underestimating us a little. You can’t just bail from your dreams at the first sign of trouble. Dreams aren’t things that come easily; that’s why they always feel so far away. You have to earn them and really work for them, or you won’t appreciate them when they arrive.”

 

“It wouldn’t feel like a dream come true if I’d gotten any of my friends hurt in the process. It would be selfish.” 

 

“Let them decide, then. Give us a chance to decide what we want to do too. You don’t have to martyr your career before it starts for our sakes. You’re the one with the best shot to succeed anyway and…” Connie trailed off, not sure if he should continue. 

 

“And what?”

 

“It’s stupid but...I feel better about my abilities to keep you’re safe if you’re still here. If you leave, and something were to happen where you were gone from me...Sash I couldn’t ever forgive myself ok? We’ll just leave it at that.” Connie stared down the massive pikachu plushie on Annie’s bed. 

 

“You don’t have to protect me. I can take care of myself, ok? I always have.” 

 

“Don’t start with that bullshit ok?” Connie surprised himself. “That’s a terrible line of thinking. Yes, you could go off on your own and draw danger away from us and to yourself...but you know what that is? That’s you protecting us, but not letting us protect you. We’d just go around in circles that way forever and it’s stupid when you have a home and a future here.”

 

“ Ha. You know...I hadn’t considered that. I mean. I’ll be damned; you’re right.” Sasha said after some careful consideration. 

 

“I could really get used to having someone around telling me I’m right about something.” Connie stretched. 

 

“Oh jeez it’s not that bad!”

 

“OK it’s not Eren level bad but I might level up any day now.” He didn’t think it was funny, but Sasha’s musical laughter rang out behind him and he smiled to himself. 

 

“Oh man, thank God for you Connie. I just love you.” she laughed. He nearly choked. 

 

“...What?” 

 

“I said thank God for you. You always know exactly what to say to cheer me up.” she chirped.

 

“Yeah but...nevermind. I thought you said something else.” 

 

“Oh...oh I guess I did, didn’t I? That’s just kindof an expression I’m used to using ...I...hmm. Okay I made it awkward.” 

 

“Ha, no it’s fine. I understand. It’s just an expression.” Connie lied. He knew it was a lie as soon as he said it, and he balled up his hands into fists, wishing he were not so dumb. Now he hated the quiet. And just when he decided he hated the quiet, it got quiet-er when she switched the jets off. He rubbed his face and sighed and stretched. 

 

“It’s true. It’s simple. That’s just the way it is. It’s as easy as breathing. Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it until now. I really love you.” 

 

“Sash?” was all he could manage. “You ok?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t believe it. No wonder.”

 

“It’s too soon for I love yous, you know. We should at least date first.” Connie decided that his mouth was on autopilot today even though he had everything to lose. 

 

“Okay.” 

 

Connie blinked. He turned and faced the door directly because he was certain he’d heard something insane. “Are you sure you’re ok? It’s been a long day.”

 

“It has been a long day. And you’re right I should probably not make any rash decisions right now, but I don’t think this is going to change. I just realized it is all. We should date.” 

 

Connie couldn’t stop his eyes from watering, or his lip from quivering. He ached at how badly he wanted this to be true and not just the result of a long,exhausting day. 

 

“Are you crying?” Her voice was so close; just on the other side of the door. 

 

“It seems so. That’s pretty weird.” 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t even wait to hear if you actually wanted to date me. Holy shit, that was really presumptuous of me. Ahhhh! Oh my...oh please don’t tell me I made things weird. It’s ok! Whatever you feel is ok! I wouldn’t want to date me either! I...can do friendly I love yous.” A half dressed but very toweled Sasha peeked her head around the door to find Connie sitting on the floor, tears fresh on his cheeks. He looked up at her, outlined by the incandescent light of the bathroom with little drops of water catching sparkles that clung to her body and lingered in drops on her hair. Beautiful. He could not stop himself from staring. She sat across from him and gave him a bashful smile.

 

“No... it’s good, Sasha. I’d like that more than anything. Really. You have no idea. Like you said...it’s just so natural.” He swallowed. She grinned and squeezed him so quickly that he squeaked from surprise. 

 

“OKAY good!” 

 

“I can’t breathe” 

 

“Me neither I’m so excited! Did that really just happen oh my gosh I’ve never done that before…”

 

“No I mean I really can’t breathe you’re choking me!” Connie coughed over her shoulder in his neck before she quickly unhanded him and leaned back away. 

 

“Ah! Sorry! My excitement came out all at once. Wow you like me?? You?! Of all people how the hell did I get so lucky?!” Sasha’s face crumpled from abject happiness into tears so quickly Connie struggled to keep up. She was the lucky one? She had that all wrong. Connie always felt like a nobody...an average joe...and she? She was a goddess in his eyes.

 

“No, Sash. I’m the lucky one. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Oh, come on don’t cry!” He brushed the back of his forefinger against her cheek to slide her tears off. He caught her face with both of his hands and tried to gently guide her to look at him. “No tears right now. You’re going to undo everything the bath did to calm you down. “ 

 

Her chesnut eyes glittered back at him and she smiled a little. Her skin was soft and smooth and very warm from the bath beneath his hands, and he felt compelled to find more of it. He wanted so very badly to slide his fingers down her neck and ghost them along her collar bone so lightly she would barely feel his touch. He swallowed hard upon realizing how very close they had become. 

 

“Hey Con, if we don’t want to do everything backwards we should really try to be a little more in control of ourselves huh?” 

 

“Yeah, probably. I just...I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in my life. It’s actually painful.” he chuckled and shook his head a little. “Dinner first, of course.”   
  
“Hey, you bought me that corn dog after the Haunted Forest earlier, right?” 

 

“Teeeeechnically, yes?” Connie could feel himself making a face, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her lips.

 

“No regrets, then. Thanks for dinner!” Sasha smirked and pulled him closer to her, and Connie (though he be not the smartest of men) didn’t need any further instruction. He closed the gap between their lips and kissed the girl of his dreams so carefully, so sweetly, he wasn’t sure he was even the same person. He felt as though his life depended on this moment; the meeting of two kindred souls that finally found each other after all this time. So natural, so easy. He thought for a moment that perhaps he had done something wrong until he felt her kiss him back, pressing her lips harder against his until they found a slow rhythm. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was pretty sure eternities could come in small pockets.

 

At last, Sasha leaned away from him and smiled. “Okay, but really we should get real dinner next. After this crisis is averted.” 

 

He laughed, thinking that if THAT is what a corn dog achieved he’d definitely be able to do better in the future. “Definitely. You should get dressed before Annie thinks we’re being inappropriate in her room. 

 

“Ack! Okay, you’re right. I’m good. I’ll meet you in the living room!” Sasha stood and closed the door quickly, smacking both of his knees. “Sorry!”

 

He flopped backward and sighed at the ceiling before standing and heading out to meet the others. When he entered the living room, he found the band seated around the coffee table speaking in hushed tones. They all looked up at him at the same moment. 

 

“Is she okay?” Eren asked. 

 

Connie nodded. “Yeah. She’s getting dressed.” 

 

“Daaaamn, Connie. I didn’t think you guys were in there that long.” Eren grinned, but his eyes still bore a hint of worry. Jean smacked Eren in the arm with a rolled up newspaper. 

 

“Good. We’ve all come to a decision.” Jean said. 

 

“What kind of decision?” Connie rubbed his head, something he did when he was nervous. 

 

“Simple. We’re going on tomorrow. We’re a group. We don’t cave to fear and we don’t abandon each other.” Eren said seriously. “None of us are prepared to live our lives knowing that when it really mattered we took the easy route.”

 

“We have to take the threat of death very seriously.” Mikasa added. “If I can protect Sasha then I will. I don’t want any more regrets or should-have-beens.” Connie knew she was thinking about her parents. If he knew, then the others did too. 

 

“There comes a time, rare as it may be, when the wisest thing to do is not negotiate. There are some people that cannot be reasoned with. We must let the law do their job and put our faith in those we trust to protect us.” Armin said quietly. 

 

“I’m with them. A threat against one of us is a threat against all of us and I won’t stand for it.” Jean stated. “We’re going on tomorrow. Count on it.” 

 

“Whoah...are you guys sure that’s a good idea?” Connie was stunned. The Jaegerbombs wanted to take the stage even though the individual responsible for promises of violence was still at large and knew enough about them to find them. 

 

“Hey man, they can threaten death and we can fight with life. Both are just doors to somewhere else and we don’t know where either is going to lead. No point in being afraid.” Jean laughed as though the truth of his statement was obvious to each of them. 

 

“That’s one way of looking at it, I guess?” Connie said. “Damn you guys are fatalistic.

 

“Have we met?” Armin’s question was directed at Connie, but his hard stare was directed at Jean.

 

“Mmkay, I’ve decided that none of you are leaving tonight.” Annie said as she hefted a box on the counter. “I can’t stop you from being dumb and going on stage tomorrow, no matter how stupid brave that is, but I can insist that you stay here tonight with each other. Just in case. If none of you want future regrets, you don’t want to think gee I wish I didn’t leave that night so I could have had more time with them.” 

 

“Holy shit, you guys are dark! Everyone is going to be fine, ok? This isn’t our last night on earth. Don’t get yourselves all worked up.” Connie said as he flopped onto the couch. 

 

“You don’t know that.” Annie said. 

 

“Sure I do. Sasha and I just decided we’re officially dating, so as long as we take it slow and not activate the horror movie trope we’re all gonna live.” Connie shrugged. 

 

“WHAT?! I KNEW IT!” Eren was on his feet. “Mika didn’t I tell you?? I can ALWAYS tell when people are interested in each other. It’s a gift.” 

 

“Yah. A gift.” Mikasa said flatly, taking a long swig of her beer. 

 

“I should just play match maker more often! Annie! Armin! Make it happen!” Eren grinned. 

 

“Make...what happen exactly?” Annie picked up her glass. 

 

“You and Armin should be dating, like, yesterday.” Eren shook his head. Armin whipped his head around to glare daggers at Eren. Annie slurped her water through her straw as noisily as possible. 

 

“That wouldn’t work out, Eren. You think you have great couples sense, but my gaydar is in greater working order than yours apparently.” Annie said as she pushed her bangs away from her face. 

 

“Wait, Armin’s gay??” Jean nearly dropped his beer on the coffee table. 

 

“Maybe not strictly speaking. I’d say gender didn’t matter to him at all so long as they’re among the living.” Annie refilled her water glass. 

 

“Why do you guys always talk about me like I’m not sitting right here?” Armin fixed a long suffering gaze on Annie. 

 

“Because you let us, your reactions are funny, and I enjoy trolling Jean.” The hint of a smile played at the corners of Annie’s mouth. “Besides Armin and I did date once “like yesterday”. We’re just more compatible as friends.” 

 

“Huh. I did not know that. Did any of you know that? Besides you, Armin.” Eren blinked. “Maybe he really is gay, then.” Mikasa elbowed Eren in the ribs.

 

“If I sit here long enough, you guys will decide I’m a dragon or something by morning.” Armin rolled his eyes. 

 

“PLEASE tell me you’re not a dragon. We spent way too much money on pyrotechnics in the past if that were true.” Eren could not be stopped. 

 

“Armin! Shots, please.” Mikasa plopped a bottle of soju on the table and filled two shot glasses. 

 

“My hero.” Armin accepted his shot glass with a slight bow. 

 

“OK, no... hit me too. Tonight has been so weird. No, not just tonight. Today has been weird too. I swear that was a real ghost. ” Jean said, and Mikasa poured him a shot as well. 

 

“All for one” Mikasa announced as the three of them answered “And one for all!” and threw back their liquor… the first of probably too many. 

* * *

 

  
  


Jean was staring at the ceiling, his head on the back of the couch as he continued to ask whatever questions came to his mind as they appeared in his train of thought. “Hey, how many dimensions do you think there are?”

 

“What?” Eren, who was laying on the floor at this point, had responded to every single dumb question so far. “I ‘unno prolly like five.”

 

“Why just five? Why not countless dimensions?” 

 

“ I like the Fifth Dimension idea cause they were really onto something,” Eren stuck both of his legs in the air just to see how high he could make them. “And I’ve always wanted to do a cover of that Age of Aquarius medley.”

 

Annie laughed from the kitchen floor, “ I had no idea Eren Jaeger was a secret hippie.”    
  
“Hear me out! The classics are classics for a reason and if I could, I’d write a song that captures the spirit of the late sixties too. Like...seriously...where HAVE all the flowers gone?” Eren stared upward at his shoes. 

 

“What?? No, no I’m not talking about bands I’m talking about beyond the third dimensional world we live in...like some world we don’t even know how to access. Like colors. How many colors can’t we see just because we have less cones than bees and mantis shrimp?” Jean continued, readjusting himself on the couch to lay his head in Armin’s lap, which woke the sleeping blonde. He blinked awake and looked around through squinty eyes. 

 

“Jean? You drunk?” Armin looked down at the puzzled looking man who was looking up at him from his lap.    
  


“Oooh yeah. Hey Min! You’re comfortable! I hope that’s okay!” Jean’s smile was a little crooked. 

  
  
“Ah. I see. That’s fine, whatever. Just don’t go getting any ideas about biting again while you’re down there.” Armin patted his head and leaned his head back against the couch to settle into sleep again, but Jean would have none of it. 

 

“I’m not sure I’ve had nearly enough liquor for that kind of suggestion to be acceptable.” Jean lifted his head a little to try and make eye contact, but Armin was already staring at the ceiling. “On second thought, you were preeeettyyy amazing on stage today, so I guess I’ll let it slide.” 

 

“What are you talking about? You’re drunk. Just stop talking before you get yourself in trouble.” Armin kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling so as not to address anything Jean was saying as viable reality. 

 

“No! I mean, yeah. I am a little. Maybe more than a little...but it’s true. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before, but you were hot with like three t’s.” Jean’s mouth continued on without him. 

 

“Wow.” Eren’s voice sounded nearby as he struggled to put another log on the fire. “Annie’s right; my gaydar isn’t remotely functional. I had no idea about either of you...but I guess the clues were there on stage earlier.” 

 

“He’s just drunk, Eren.” Armin sat up with care so as not to deposit Jean on the floor. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about and he won’t remember. It doesn’t mean anything.” 

 

“But what if it does, Armin? This is all new to me.” Jean was earnest. “I’ve been drunk before but tonight was an all-new experience. Your hair in the lights...wow... and your make up and the way you moved...I mean... I’ve never been attracted to guys before but tonight you could have just said the word and I’d have let you pin me against a--oh shit I said that out loud didn’t I? Shit...I’m sorry Armin. Shit. This is awful and I need to stop talking.” 

 

“Hey, Annie. Do you mind driving me home?” Armin slid off the couch, letting Jean’s head hit the cushion lightly. 

 

“No can do, Armin. Already put security on a timer for the evening.” Annie stood up. “I can put you up in the library if you’re ready to sleep, though. It’ll be quiet in there, I promise.” 

 

Jean swallowed hard and watched as Annie led Armin’s retreat down the hall until they both disappeared into a room. He lolled his head to the side to look at Eren, who was staring at him as though he had three heads and one of them was eating a sandwich. “...What do I even do about that? Do you think he’s angry?” Jean said. 

“Just let him sleep and apologize in the morning if you feel like you need to apologize,” Mikasa said in a half awake haze. “You know how Armin can be. No one ever really knows what’s in his head but him unless you ask or he tells us.” 

 

“I don’t know if I can wait that long; I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep right now.” Jean sat up and wavered a little, still very much in the clutches of his alcoholic stupor. 

 

“You’d be amazed what alcohol can do,” Eren said. “It probably is best if we just sleep though.” He stretched out on the other couch and pulled a knitted afghan over him. Mikasa reached over and deposited a pillow and blanket directly on Jean and quickly fell asleep in her beanbag on the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

Armin curled up on the floor, staring at the bookshelf in the dim lighting as he challenged himself to try and read the titles. This was something he practiced; feeling numb, not reacting to people who were probably hitting on him, retreating into his own little world where it was safe. He knew it was sometimes a coward’s method of dealing with things, but who had time for hurt feelings and endless disappointment? 

 

But it was Jean this time, he thought to himself. Was it just adrenaline and alcohol or was Jean experiencing some sort of sexual awakening that Armin was merely the trigger for? He figured that the morning would probably tell him more clearly, so he’d figure out how to react to it then. Still, sleep wasn’t coming easy. Jean was a friend. A very GOOD friend. And for no reason whatsoever that Armin could tell, suddenly a very attractive friend. 

 

Since he was about twelve years old, everyone had been assigning his attributes and his sexuality, to the point where it simply wasn’t possible for all of them to apply. It didn’t bother him, because he hardly ever thought about it. His mind drifted back to that party freshman year when he and Annie stuck with one another through the night to help each other fend off creeps. They’d known each other since they were really small, as they both grew up in this town. She’d grown more beautiful and tough, and he’d grown more shy and reserved, but neither had really noticed each other as adults until that night. She’d wound up having too much too drink and kissed him on the lawn when everyone else had gone to bed. The cogs in his head had turned and adjusted until he figured ‘dating’ was the next logical step. For a short while, it worked. Two months of casual dating went by until one day she’d broken the news to him that she never felt like Armin was committed to their relationship; that his mind was always somewhere else distant and kept her locked out of it. For her part, though, Annie had trouble understanding his life and talk of his job unsettled her until eventually he just stopped talking about it. It was true; Armin did wind up keeping that aspect of his life to himself, but it wasn’t anything to do with whether or not he was gay or unaffectionate. She simply couldn’t accept him for the type of person he was or the kind of profession he was dedicating his life to. If she was ever honest with herself, it was because death scared her. Being too close to it scared her.   
  
It’s always easier to blame someone else than examine your own flaws. Armin gave up hope that he’d find anyone in that town that would be willing to accept him as he was, but he and Annie would remain friends.    
  
Jean, on the other hand, had done the opposite. When Armin told him about some of his darker times, he didn’t leave or make excuses. In fact, he drew closer in. It challenged Armin’s views of himself as an uninteresting, unattractive human being and therefore made him uncomfortable because at least tonight, it seemed that Jean’s interest had crossed from friendship into attraction. 

 

Or was it just the alcohol? That thought would have to wait until morning, because at about that time nature called. He snuck out of the library quietly and stole off to the bathroom hoping he wouldn’t wake anyone. When he returned, he climbed back into his pile of blankets and settled a little before Jean’s voice startled him from the darkness. 

 

“Hey, Min.” 

 

Armin squeezed his eyes closed. No rational thinking would happen until morning, so obviously no good would come from this. “Yeah?”

 

“I’m not drunk anymore. Just tired. Upset that I treated you like that earlier. I’m really sorry. I hope it doesn’t mess things up between us.” Jean’s voice was quiet and contemplative. 

 

“Same. It’s fine, Jean. Alcohol is weird.” Armin wondered if this would be all or if he wanted to talk all night. All of the coffee in the world would not protect the Jaegerbombs from Armin with Sleep Loss if he didn’t get at least 7 hours. 

 

“Are you ok?” Jean left the chair he was sitting in and took a seat on the floor next to Armin. Armin inwardly sighed and rolled over to face him. 

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m exhausted and counting down to possibly being shot on stage tomorrow. Is that what you want to talk about?”  Armin said. 

 

“That’s one way of putting it, but I’m mostly concerned for...other things.” Jean struggled.

 

“Jean if you’ve figured out you’re attracted to me it’s not going to change our friendship unless you decided to use me as an experimental foray into determining your true sexuality. Even then, if I got enough sleep I might be game for it but for now? Please stop worrying and get some sleep.” 

 

“Can I sleep in here with you?” Jean winced and quickly added. “Eren is snoring and Mikasa is a heavy sleeper so--”

 

Armin responded by tossing half of his blanket over Jean’s head. “Sleep and don’t talk.” 

“You...you mean like...sleep close to you...next to you?” Jean stuttered.

 

“Jean. I’ve known you since we were two. I know that even if you find yourself attracted to me you aren’t going to do anything. Just get over here and go to bed.” Armin reached up and pulled Jean to the floor with him without grace or ceremony. Armin closed his eyes and wiggled around to try and get comfortable again. Minutes went by, but he could still feel Jean staring at him. 

 

“What is it, Jean?” He peeked an eye open to see Jean’s face staring at him in the darkness. The dim moonlight caught the slightest glint of wetness along the side of his nose. 

 

“What if one of us does wind up dead, Armin.” Jean whispered. Armin frowned and petted his hair the way his mother used to do during loud storms as a child. 

 

“Connie’s father would never allow that. We’re going to be fine and they will catch the person responsible. Just hope Connie’s father finds them first and not Levi.” Armin kept his voice low and calm. 

 

“How are you not afraid? You’ve seen death and ugliness so close up...aren’t you worried that that will happen to one of us?” Jean sniffed a little. 

 

“It’s more like I know it will one day, I just don’t think it’ll be tomorrow. I guess when it comes down to it, I’m more afraid of life.” Armin mused. 

 

“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Jean wiped the wetness off his face with his palm. “How can you expect to live through tomorrow if you’re afraid of life?”

 

“Hell if I know, I just know we’ll be ok somehow.” Armin grumbled at his pillow and made for space for Jean’s head. 

 

“...and somehow when you say that, I believe it...so...thanks.” Jean snuggled in close and closed his eyes. 

 

“We’ll be ok.” Armin closed his eyes and laced his fingers between Jean’s before wiggling just enough to get comfortable and sleep. In the dark, Jean smiled, knowing full well that he was doomed.

 

* * *

 

“Rise and shine, everyone. Levi’s here with an important announcement.” Annie called as she started making breakfast. Eren sat up quickly and looked around trying to determine his surroundings. Levi waited until everyone had emerged from their sleeping places before making his announcement.

 

“So, they weren’t able to catch the people we were looking for last night, but our leads are much closer. Right now the police are scouring this town looking for the car, but as enough people have garages and we don’t have any cause to search them, we’ll just have to wait it out. Because of this, and perhaps more importantly, I regret to inform you that I will be joining you on stage this evening as a temporary member of your band. We will begin rehearsal in an hour, so please wake up, eat, shower, and meet me out back. We have work to do.” 

 

Eren fell off the couch in shock. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. So. Sorry. 
> 
> I won't write smut though, so unfortunately for some of you this story will stay pretty tame. Thanks for sticking with me anyway!


	8. Rock You Like a Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as Armin's no-good-very-bad-day, the Jaegerbombs give their second concert performance of the Fall Festival after a long morning of rehearsing with some unexpected support. Introducing backup dancers Historia, Annie, Marco, and Levi! Despite bad news becoming worse news, the Jaegerbombs power through together and begin devising survival plans to weather the storm. 
> 
> The Hole in the Wall: SnK Music AU continues! (...in all of its dark comedy glory?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot tell you how much pain this chapter put me through, but I do it because I love you dear readers. I might have to raise my maturity rating after this. Light a candle for me; a part of my soul departed writing the second part of this. This chapter is largely told from Sasha and Armin's perspective, because I find that too often we hear the inner thoughts of their frequently shipped counterparts and not them. 
> 
> I must apologize for the pacing; some areas are glossed over a little because I intend to wrap this story at Chapter Ten. :)
> 
> As with all music oriented stories, I am frequently inspired by the music which winds up getting added to the story. Please see the notes at the end which contain links to the songs, the lyrics of which are frequently critical to understanding a scene. Welcome to the 3d fanfiction experience.

The Jaegerbombs plus Levi practiced non-stop from 9am til noon when they finally took a break for lunch. Sasha collapsed on Annie’s couch and watched Connie situate himself in the kitchen. He’d drawn the short straw for making food for everyone, which was just as well given that he was the best cook in the group. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched his dance of trial and error as he learned to navigate the Leonhardt kitchen. Mikasa took the seat next to her and followed Sasha’s gaze to the kitchen and smiled to herself.

 

“So, besides the occasional awkwardness, are you enjoying life in Sina?” Mikasa nudged Sasha a little.

 

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. It feels too good to be true if I’m honest. And I can try to rationalize it however I want, but I still feel horrible for involving you all in the drama that is my life. The idea of any of you getting hurt because of where the wind happened to take me isn’t something I like to think about.” Sasha pulled her knees up to her chest as she spoke, a defensive habit she fell into often.

 

“I don’t know if it will mean anything to you, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from tragedy it’s that you can’t stop fate when it’s already made it’s mind up. There’s no sense in asking how or why things play out the way they do; you just make the best choice you can for yourself. Choose to go forward, and fight. I learned that a long time ago.” Mikasa kept her eyes focused somewhere that Sasha could not see, viewing some memory that was not visible, only felt. Sasha assumed that Mikasa was talking about the loss of her family, but she’d never opened up to her about the details. Mikasa was always part mystery to her, even though they seemed to share a lot in common.

 

“Is that how you became one of the strongest people I’ve ever known?” Sasha asked. Mikasa smirked and chuckled without sound or mirth.

 

“I don’t know that I would say that. We all have weaknesses we wish we didn’t have.”

 

“That doesn’t make your strengths any less strong, you know. Weaknesses keep us grounded.”

 

“That may be, Sasha.” Mikasa grew silent and contemplative. “You know something?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“This will sound stupid, but there’s only ‘now’ these days, so I just wanted to tell you. I’ve never had a sister...I’ve always wanted one. I used to pray for a sister...ask whoever was listening to send me one. When my parents died, I thought for sure that meant my prayer had been settled with a solid rejection. And yet….and yet now, with you here...joining the group...spending time together and dancing and making music...I realize I was wrong about that. You did eventually find me, afterall.” Mikasa shook her head. “Oh, God it sounds so cheesy and stupid when I say it out loud like that but...I’d always had Eren around like a brother but….it’s true. So please, don’t regret coming here. I’ve been thanking the powers that be that brought you here. I’m not about to give you up so easily to some asshole on an ego trip. He’ll have to get through me first.”

 

Sasha listened as Mikasa spoke; how she had lowered her voice to a soft hum, the confidence diminished as she allowed herself to be vulnerable and shy behind the fringe of her silky black hair. Sasha was overwhelmed by the quiet power of this confession. She had not considered herself as anything other than a bandmate to most of the Jaegerbombs, which made dismissal of her own importance more accessible. All of her feelings, confused and conflicted, rose from her at once and she immediately embraced Mikasa. She squeezed her tightly, a silent assurance that she wasn’t going to go anywhere. To her great surprise, Mikasa sniffled into her shoulder and returned the hug in unspoken agreement. When the two separated, Mikasa had tears in her eyes but wore a smile on her face and she nodded.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I’d get so emotional.” Mikasa wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I was just so excited.”

 

Sasha couldn’t help but laugh a little. “To be honest, I’m a little excited too. I’ve never had siblings, so I guess we’ll just adopt each other. No worries, I’ll let you keep your name.”

 

“That’s good; it’s not a marriage or anything. Step kids usually keep their names you know.” Mikasa leaned back against the couch a little. Sasha noticed from the corner of her eye that Connie was quietly giving them space, and for that she was grateful.

 

“Pff oh yeah, guess yer right.” Sasha adjusted her ponytail.

 

Eren opened the bathroom door with a flourish and joined them in the living room by flopping on the couch opposite them. “Uh oh. Why the long faces? Did I do something?”

 

“Nah, it’s ok Eren.” Mikasa smiled at him.

 

“Really? Because I know what will make it better.” Eren didn’t wait for an answer, he just pulled his acoustic guitar from somewhere behind the couch and adjusted the capo. He closed his eyes for a moment and strummed a chord, then another, then looked at the door and waited. He winked at Mikasa before he began picking out a melody and singing, “Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenendoah River.”

 

Only thumping footsteps preceded Jean and Armin as they burst through the door sing-shouting, “Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze!”  
  
Then everyone within earshot, including Levi who was gathering his water bottle from outside and even Annie (albeit quietly) who was doing laundry in the other room, joined in singing John Denver’s “Country Roads”. For a little while, all of the worry subsided as everyone lost themselves in singing together with Eren’s guitar. Levi and Annie joined the band in the living room, surprising the band members a bit when they realized that both of them could actually carry a tune. Magic lived in those moments with live music, when bonds with friends were renewed as if it realigned the cosmos to the way it should be. Eren, for all of his goofiness, always held this magic key that helped him choose the precise music that needed to be played to sway the mood back to center. Sasha had seen him do this during rehearsals, but understood at last why he was chosen as the front-man for the Jaegerbombs.

 

“Hey guys! Lunch is up!” Connie called to them when their song wrapped up. Jean shot up out of his seat first and hopped over the kitchen counter as if it presented no obstacle and grabbed a plate. Connie blinked. “Levi working ya real hard there, Jean?”

 

Jean glanced over his shoulder at Levi and turned back to Connie. “Nothing more than the usual Ackerman-Ackerthon, what makes you say that?” Jean bit his lip just a little. Connie laughed and heaped a serving of macaroni and cheese on his plate. Jean nodded in quiet thanks and traveled down the line to get the rest of his food: sandwich and soup.

 

“If you feed them too much they’ll be too bloated to rehearse, Springer.” Levi called from the couch.

 

“Don’t act like you don’t love my mac and cheese, Levi.” Connie said.

 

“Oh, it’s mac and cheese day?” Levi promptly got up and found a space in line for food.

 

“Soooo, I was wondering why you decided to join the Jaegerbombs out of nowhere, Levi. I mean, without a formal invitation to and all that and without the knowledge of the band itself. Not that I mind, of course.” Eren spoke between bites of sandwich. Sasha had been wondering the same thing, but still felt too new to ask. Connie was their manager, but he certainly didn’t behave like a manager. She was beginning to question how much control he actually had over this group.

 

“It’s only temporary, Jaeger. I need to be in a place where I feel confident in my ability to keep you safe for tonight, then you won’t be bothered by me for such things again.” Levi tore his sandwich into smaller pieces to dunk in his soup.

 

“It’s not a bother, it’s just unexpected. I mean the Fall Festival is usually our biggest gig of the year, so we worked all year to prepare for it. Our fans are probably expecting things to go a certain way.” Eren replied.

 

“And I appreciate your accommodation, Eren. You added Sasha to the stage yesterday, today I figure you wouldn’t mind adding me. Besides, Connie said it was fine.”

 

“I might as well tell you now, I’ve been rehearsing for a week as a backup dancer too.” Annie spoke up. “We’ve all been concerned about how much support the band would need with it’s new concept so we were planning a cover as a surprise. Hah, oops. And anyway it gave us the perfect opportunity to--”

 

“Wait, what?! How?!” Eren stopped eating for a moment.

 

“Easy, we just work off the recordings Mikasa made and shared to her youtube channel. Don’t worry, it’s private. She sent it to me once, I might have let it slip to Historia…so anyway Levi is a little late to the party which is why he’s rehearsing with you this morning. We plan on basically dressing like ninjas, because we figure the chances of someone attacking you guys on stage will lessen if there are more people around. So you know,” Annie explained. “We’re here for you guys.”

 

“Connie, you knew about this and didn’t tell me?” Eren said.

 

“I learned about it last night when Levi texted me. My dad thought it was a good idea too, especially since one of his officers is willing to go undercover as a dancer.” Connie said. “Plus I had a feeling you guys were going to pull a three musketeer’s act and go on stage despite all common sense saying you shouldn’t.”

 

Eren was silent a moment, pushing a noodle around in his soup. Finally he spoke, as he realized that all eyes were on him. “Ok, who are the dancers?”

 

“Annie, Marco, Historia, and myself,” Levi said as he refilled his water bottle. “They’ll be here at about one-thirty to rehearse now that I’ve caught up to them."

 

“So, you guys can dance?” Sasha was surprised.

 

“Working on that triple threat.” Annie replied. “Acting, Singing, Dancing. I do it all. When I’m not at work waiting tables, of course.”

 

“How did I not know that?” Eren was surprised. Again.

 

“You never asked. It never came up.” Annie said. “And I enjoy being underestimated.”

 

“Wait, Marco too? He’s always on duty. When does he have time to rehearse?” Jean spoke up. “And also why didn’t he tell me? I wondered why he kept blowing me off on game night.”

 

“Did you miss the ‘it was a surprise’ part?” Annie said.

 

“.......ah. Right. Carry on then.” Jean continued eating.

 

“Don’t worry,” Levi said flatly. “We’ll keep Cloudbreak as sexy as you seem to like it, Jean”

 

“...What?!” Jean nearly choked on his soup.

 

“I think you know.” Annie replied. “Don’t worry guys, we really worked hard. We’ll make you look great up there tonight.”

 

Sasha noticed Armin quietly frowning at his phone while everyone else continued discussing their plans for the evening. “Hey, everything ok?”

 

“Hm?” Armin looked up.

 

“Is everything ok?” She reiterated quietly.

 

“Apart from my body threatening to fall apart if the wind is blowing the right way?…well. It’s probably nothing and I’m probably overthinking.” Armin put his phone down.

 

“It’s not nothing if it’s bothering you.” Sasha said.

 

“It’s just weird is all. Both of my parents told me they were coming home last night, and that they’d text me when they got there. But it’s been radio silence all morning. They’re not responding to my texts either. Maybe they just forgot and slept in. Maybe I’m paranoid. But.”

 

“But what?” She slid a little closer to him. There was something in his eyes that she recognized, but couldn’t place. Some veil of uncertainty that masked the worry and the unknown. Armin was still a bit of an enigma to her as well...like Mikasa. She always felt like they were trying to protect the world from some part of themselves, and were succeeding at it far better than she was.

 

“They always text me when they get home. And Sash…” Armin lowered his voice significantly. “I don’t know if I should bring this up, and I’m afraid if I say it out loud it will become real. But. How did these people who were after you know what my parents did? That information isn’t on the forums. The only way they would know is if they asked someone who lived here.”

 

Sasha felt a chill on the nape of her neck that shot down her spine and left her with goosebumps. She knew immediately that something was wrong. Her instincts did not often lead her astray, and they hit her with a sense of urgency. Time was of the essence.

 

“We need to check your house. Hey, Con!” She called over to him. Armin squeezed his eyes closed and winced a little.

 

“Yeah?” Connie looked over.

 

“Did Marlowe have any cameras on the Arlert place last night?” Sasha asked.

 

“No. Just ours, Mikasa’s, and Jean’s place. Shit. Why?” Connie put down his food.

 

“Armin was expecting his parents to be home and haven’t heard anything from them all morning. Can someone go swing by just to make sure everything’s kosher?” Sasha asked.

 

“Sure, let me call my dad.” Connie stepped outside for a moment to make his phone call. The rest of the room fell silent. The worry they were resisting had returned in full force and then some.

 

“Armin why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Eren was the first to break the silence.

 

“Because I didn’t want it to be a big deal. They could have just plugged their phones improperly to the charger when they got home and that’s why the phones are dead.” Armin said, unable to make eye contact. He didn’t appear to believe his own words, Sasha noted.

 

Jean was already texting Marco:  
  
_Me: “*Hey dude, can you stop by Arlert’s on the way here and make sure everything is alright?*”_  
_Freckles McGee: “*Yeah I just got radio’d so I’m on my way. How’d you know I was coming over?”_  
_Me: “*Today is full of surprises. Get back to me soon.*”_

 

Eren moved to sit next to Armin. “I keep running things through my head and knocking down things to say because I don’t want to make the situation worse. So. When’s the last time you spoke to them?”

 

“Last night.” Armin replied.

 

“Did you try calling?” Eren said.

 

“Yes. Both of the lines immediately go to voicemail.” Armin said.

 

“Where were they coming back from?” Eren continued.

 

“From the south.” Sasha answered automatically.

 

“...How did you know that?” Armin whipped his head around to Sasha.

 

“I don’t know. It feels right. Shit I said that out loud.” Sasha started to stammer a little as her dialect made a return.

 

“They were driving back from a Corpse-Con..ugh…” Armin winced a little. “A Funeral Industry Symposium. In Georgia. They refuse to fly. Back to how you knew that?”

 

“Instinct.” Sasha’s shoulders sagged a little. “Honest, I don’t know how I know things like that half the time. I know that sounds totally nuts. I just feel things and let it guide me.”

 

Armin stared at her; he the uncrowned king of skepticism. Sasha could feel her eyes on him, and she felt compelled to lower her head a little.

 

“What do your instincts say about this situation?” Armin asked quietly, the edge removed from his voice.

 

“Be specific. And be careful here. You might not be ready for the answer.” Sasha said quietly.

 

Eren raised his voice to everyone in the room. “No offense everyone, but we need a Jaegerbombs-only meeting for a few minutes. Can you guys go outside? We’ll be out there soon.”

 

Annie nodded and held the door for Levi once Connie made his way back in. He sat next to Sasha as Armin prepared to continue his questions. Jean positioned himself on the floor between Armin and Sasha, clutching his cell phone.

 

“Ok. First I will ask about tonight’s performance. Will we, the Jaegerbombs and their honorary backup dancers be safe on stage and at the entire festival this evening?” Armin asked Sasha.

 

She closed her eyes, waiting for the internal compass she relied upon to keep her safe to bring forth any kind of direction or response. She felt calm, certain, collected. No goosebumps, no chill, no pit falling in her stomach. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see Armin still staring at her with expectation on his face.

 

“I believe we will be. I believe that whoever it is will be deterred by the festival environment and are too aware of police presence there now. We’ll be ok.” She stated as she regained her focus.

 

“Sasha, honestly. You’re psychic too?” Eren was incredulous. “Does anyone else have anything they aren’t sharing that we need to consider for this?”

 

“I wouldn’t call myself psychic. I’m just intuitive. Please don’t take my gut feelings for law, ok? I could be wrong.” Sasha exhaled.

 

“Don’t think I forgot what you said at the Festival, either,” Jean said. “About banishing spirits?”

 

“Just folk remedies. It’s traditional stuff,” Sasha explained. “Like superstition.”

 

“Superstition. What you’re describing is witchcraft, basically.” Jean said.

 

“I wouldn’t go that far, Jean. It’s not like I cast spells or something. Wait...I guess banishing is like a spell. I don’t know? Labels don't matter and is it really important right now?” Sasha struggled to explain. She was getting a little tired of being questioned all the time, but even moreso being dogged about things that she could not explain herself.

 

“It doesn’t bother me, Sasha. I’m used to it. My best friend’s a witch; you’ll meet him today anyway. Marco; he’s a cop. We don’t care about that stuff so much anymore in New England. Half of Salem’s economy is run on witchcraft anyway. Maybe more.” Jean explained. “What I’m more concerned about is how often your feelings have been right.”

 

Sasha felt a little relieved. She thought about it a moment. “I guess if I take my own average, probably 90% of the time?”

 

“That’s kinda crazy accurate.” Jean blinked. His phone beeped, and he opened his message to read it.

 

Sasha could feel Armin’s eyes on her still; knew what he really wanted to ask but hadn’t. She hoped that he didn’t. Armin shifted his gaze to the floor when Jean commented.

 

“Nobody’s home, Armin. Their car isn’t there, but nothing seems unusual otherwise. No signs of breaking and entering.” Jean paraphrased Marco’s message.

 

“What should I do?” Armin asked the group, but looked at Sasha.

 

“File a report. This might get treated differently than a missing persons given the circumstances, so the time might be overlooked in favor of urgency. Just tell them everything including the bits you aren't sure are relevant.” Connie said. Armin nodded, stood up, and walked outside with his phone.

 

“Shit.” Eren said as he leaned back against his chair. “Just. Shit. What do **WE** do.”

 

Sasha’s thoughts ran away from her. Just when she thought things might be looking up, they fell down around her as they always had. It wasn’t that she was intentionally keeping things from her friends; they just didn’t seem relevant. It was exhausting to feel like she was the cause of everyone’s misery, even though they didn’t blame her for it. She wondered if they would remain this graceful if something serious happened to one of them.

 

Or to Armin’s parents.

 

The feeling of dread returned to the forefront, and she knew that something was wrong. The point that Armin had made about his parent’s profession not being on the band fan forums stuck out in her mind as something that was key to why things were the way they were. It was one punch after another. How long would it be before one of them broke down? She had trouble imagining what such a thing would transpire as, and immediately halted that line of thought.

 

Instead, Sasha began to formulate a plan; one that she felt she owed to the Jaegerbombs. Come what may, she was determined to make things right by them. She looked around the room to each of them. Mikasa’s bangs fell in her face. Her delicate lips were upturned in a frown as she was lost in some memory of another time. Eren was frowning also and staring at his hands. Jean was clutching his phone and watching the door with anticipation and sadness. Sasha set her jaw. _‘No one should be in fear of their lives just because they’re friends with me. And no one should have to fear for their friends lives because of something they never did wrong._ ’ She thought to herself. Injustice was present in the world around her every day, but she didn’t have to see it play out in her life. Not if she could do something about it.

 

She decided that she would find their attackers first and settle this once and for all.

 

* * *

 

 

The second concert went off even better than the previous evening, much to the relief of the Jaegerbombs. Much hand wringing, mild arguments over the setlist, and botched eyeliner in the dressing room still resulted in excellence on stage. They all agreed to stick to pairs afterward so that they could gather up their things more properly for a second night’s stay at the Leonhardt stronghold. Each band member was beginning to fray a little around the edges from the stress of dealing with a hidden assailant and what could potentially be a hostage situation or worse. No news had surfaced about Armin’s parents or the missing gunman. It was beginning to show.

 

Mikasa dropped her hairbrush in the toilet. Sasha’s nervous chatter that usually preceded a performance was traded for an exaggerated politeness and thoughtful silence. Jean loudly complained about the consistency of mascara. Eren wondered aloud if a banjo was a worthwhile investment. Perhaps the most obvious marker of unrest was Armin’s suggestion that they go through with their plan to sing at least one Disney song. Sasha found herself agreeing to a duet with Armin...who otherwise never sang by himself, and he acquiesced with a small degree of excitement. They added the impromptu act to the set list, then carried out their pre-show ritual of taking Jaegerbomb shots together. They all elected to wear outfits similar to the night before’s show, but this time they added Halloween elements. Eren wore implied skullface make up, Jean wore glittery devil horns, Mikasa wore fangs and black wings, Sasha wore white wings and a sparkly halo, and Armin wore fangs and bunny ears. No one questioned it.

 

The fan forums were lit with commentary and speculation about the individual who had the audacity to leave a death threat on their forums. Historia had even let slip that some form of tragedy had befallen the members, but neglected to elaborate on what that was. By the end of the second song, the Bombsquad had formed a half circle with linked arms around the audience, each fan within holding up a small flashlight to show support. Eren was simultaneously touched and thrilled with the response so much that he hopped off the stage during the intermission to high five everyone in the ring and hop back up on the other side. The paper passing game made a triumphant return with fans called up from the audience to join the chain. This time, it became a test between two teams to determine who could pass more papers between them using only their mouths within thirty seconds.

 

Team one consisted of Sasha, Levi, Eren, Historia, Annie, and a fan named Mina.

Team two consisted of Marco, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Moblit, and a fan named Thomas.

 

Team One absolutely clobbered team two in terms of number of papers passed with a whopping 22. Team Two, however, won the laughs of the crowd because of the sheer number of times they screwed up. Marco could not pass a paper without giggling in Armin’s face, which resulted in several varieties of disaster. Connie ruled that dropped papers were forfeit, but could be reclaimed if anyone could lift them from the floor with only their mouths. Marco dropped ten papers from the start, so the audience urged Armin to try and lift them from the floor until he obliged. Mikasa met him halfway and continued the pass to Jean, forcing her to kneel and stand repeatedly. Team two finished with 7 successfully passed papers, 2 accidental kisses, 2 emphatic apologies from Marco to Armin, and Jean declaring war on Team One by throwing crumpled papers at them to distract them.

 

Connie awarded swag to the fan participants and dismissed them (and Moblit) from the stage, then tasked the losing team with a punishment round chosen by Team One.  Everyone in the audience was excited to learn that as punishment for their loss, Team Two would be providing a thrilling rendition of “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls at their next Hole in the Wall show...and also had to do a second round of Jaegerbombs on stage immediately.

 

To begin their second set, Sasha and Armin returned to the stage first with their instruments for their first ever duet performance. They’d changed outfits; Sasha wore a sparkling ice blue dress, and Armin traded his leather for a Jack Frost cosplay. When Armin keyed out the first couple of bars of “Let it Go” from Frozen on his keyboard, the audience both laughed and groaned until Sasha began to sing.

 

“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, no footprints to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the queen.”

 

Armin sang without hesitation, “ The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried! Don’t let them in, don’t let them see…”

 

Sasha interjected, “Be the good girl you always have to be.” She shrugged.

 

“Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” He continued, shaking his head a little.

“Well. Now they know!” Sasha continued. They sang the chorus together in harmony, an unlikely duo who poured their heart into this performance with one another. Sasha realized halfway through why this song was so important for Armin, because the lyrics also became important for her. She found herself dancing around the stage with the music, while he continued to play the song from his keyboard. Backstage, the entire band was watching their performance, unsure whether to record this for posterity or just let the moment remain sacred.

 

The audience was left stunned, both because of the unexpected foray into musical theater and because they found themselves enjoying a song that had been beaten to death on the radio for months. As Sasha and Armin retreated backstage like giddy children, they tagged Eren and Jean to take the stage next for their rap battle. Neither Eren nor Jean knew how to follow a Disney song with a rap battle, but they were going to try.

 

Armin hurriedly changed out of his cosplay and into his shiny blue and silver outfit for their next group number. “Hey, Sash?”

 

“Yeah?” Sasha wiggled out of her dress and pulled her shirt on before facing him.

 

“Thanks for doing that with me. It helped a lot. I don’t know how long that was in there.” He said as he hopped around to pull his pants on properly.

 

“Seemed like a while, but I think the same was true for me too. I’m so tired of running. Thanks for letting me join you.” Sasha pulled on her jeans.

 

“Yeah, well I think I’m tired of hiding so I guess we’ll figure this out somehow.” He shrugged and touched up his make up. He wavered slightly as he made his way out of the door, paused to grab the doorframe, steadied himself, and kept walking. Sasha ran to catch up.

 

“Hey Armin are you feeling alright?”

 

“I guess as well as can be expected.” He responded in an automatic tone. Well rehearsed. “ I think the Jaegerbomb was stronger than the last one is all.” He wrinkled his nose.

 

“Are you sure you can handle the next number?” Sasha slid an arm through the crook of his to steady him.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think during the great war and every war since the beginning of time they’ve referred to this as liquid courage so I imagine it was named for a reason. It will probably be helpful. The stress is probably just making it worse.” Armin patted her arm to assure her and demonstrated that he had no trouble climbing the steps to the stage area. Sasha nodded and released him. He plopped a top hat on his head and tipped it with his prop cane. “Plus, I need to believe.”

 

When the lights went down on Eren and Jean’s performance, Sasha began the introduction to the next song with a smart rapping of two sticks together. Their cover of Delta Rae’s ‘Dance in the Graveyards’ had become an instant hit when they’d performed it at the Fall Festival Last year, so they’d decided they could play along with their musical recording and still dance the way Mikasa had hoped. Eren led the procession on stage with a torch of fire. When all of the Jaegerbombs gathered on stage and continued to play percussion, Mikasa and Eren began to spin fire in a simple but visually stunning dance with flame.

 

The roommates were living breathing fire as they danced around the stage and wove through their very trusting bandmates, all of whom were singing from the depths of their soul. Not a single one of them seemed to remember that they were on stage, or that any kind of life existed outside of this moment. When the song ended, Mikasa and her two backup dancers (Annie and Historia respectively) went almost immediately into her cover of Natalia Kill’s ‘Mirrors’. Mikasa knew how to work both a stage and an audience, and with two additional girls for her solo she would be able to keep the crowd busy for a while.

 

Armin made it backstage before he covered his face with his hands, a futile effort to mask his tears. He’d lived much of his life in graveyards and he simply wasn’t ready to lay his parents to rest in one and no part of him was ready to dance about it. He tasted the salt of his tears on his lips and wiped them off angrily. He knew that he’d only worry Sasha further if she’d realized he was upset, so he ran off quickly to change. It didn’t fool Jean, and Armin silently cursed the taller boy’s observation skills when he realized he was being followed. Armin took deep breaths to try and steady his shaking hands around a bottle of whiskey they kept in the trailer, and managed to shoot back two more shots before Jean caught up to him.

 

“I’m not due onstage for another two numbers. Did I forget something?” Armin asked, hoping that the crack in his voice went unnoticed. It didn’t.

 

“Yeah, you forgot that I’m not a fucking idiot.” Jean crossed his arms.

 

“I’d never think you were an idiot. You just play one on tv.” Armin sat down and began pulling off layers of clothes for the next number. Jean turned his head to the side to avoid staring at him. Armin noticed.

 

“Do you think you can last four more songs?” Jean said to the wall.

 

“Yes. But. I won’t be able to drive home,” Armin swallowed. “To get my things.”

 

“Oh obviously, I’ll be the one driving. I have to stop at my place too anyway to get a few essentials. What kind of person doesn’t own a stand mixer?” Jean reached over to hand Armin his next shirt, and their fingers brushed against one another. Jean froze, Armin just pulled the shirt on wondering what the problem was.

 

“Probably someone who isn’t a professional baker. That’d be my guess. Aren’t you going to change?” Armin asked. Jean, who seemed to just realize that he hadn’t prepared at all for the next set, started to rummage for his clothes.

 

“Ah, shit. Help? I can’t find my shirt.”

“Take this one off first!” Armin didn’t think about it before he did it, he just pulled the hem of Jean’s shirt up and over his arms and trapped his head inside.

 

“Ah! Warn me!” The shirt replied. “But get me out!”

 

“Sorry!” Armin’s head was beginning to swim a little, but he pulled Jean closer to him by the collar stuck around his neck and was able to pull it over his head. He was now faced with Jean’s muscled chest in front of him, and not much else given the proximity between them. He looked up to apologize again, and found himself locked in Jean’s gaze. He found an intensity there in Jean’s eyes he’d seen before, but found a softer look there he had not known existed. His heart got stuck a moment, somewhere between his throat and inhibitions. If it weren’t for the wild baby-birdlike hair his shirt had given the taller boy, being this close to Jean might have been a problem. “Eh..heh. Voila! You’re free!”

 

But Jean didn’t look away. Armin had difficulty reading his face, but expressions were always a little difficult for him to read. He looked conflicted by something, and bit his lip before taking his fresh shirt from Armin’s hands. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” Armin shrugged. He should move away from Jean now, he thought. Moving away was appropriate. It made sense. His racing heart didn’t make sense, nor the growing desire to bury his face into Jean’s chest and cry and tell him everything about his world. He watched Jean pull his shirt on and take a seat to remove his shoes quickly. When he stood again and began to remove his pants to change, Armin felt compelled to look away. Why? They’d changed in this trailer hundreds of times. What was the difference now? Why was it so warm in here? He decided there wasn’t a difference, and intoxicated logic said to just act natural, so he just stared at Jean while he changed his pants. Acting natural.

 

“Min, I think you’ve had too much to drink maybe. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this and you’re spacing out on me.” Suddenly Jean was close to him again. He realized that there were warm hands on his shoulders that didn’t belong to him. He felt warmth begin to blossom everywhere internally; in his stomach, his throat, and somewhere else deeper in his loins. That was new. Armin forced himself to focus on Jean’s face through half lidded eyes.

 

“Am I? I’m sorry it’s just...it was the song...I’m..I’m not ready for...But I can’t miss my cue so…” Armin trailed off from his struggle to speak when he realized there were another set of eyes on them, and he turned to see Eren blinking at them from the stairwell.

 

“Oh! Don’t mind me!” Eren fluttered his eyelashes. “I hope you don’t mind my invading the honeymoon suite here so I can change my clothes.”

 

“That’s what it’s for, Eren. Why couldn’t you change here?” Armin was confused. It frustrated him not to have complete control of himself. He’d somehow slid his arms around Jean’s waist without noticing or intending to, and realized he couldn’t remove one of his hands because the back pocket of Jean’s pants offered resistance. Act natural. “Oh dammit, I’m much more drunk than I should be aren’t I?”

 

“Sorry, I might have made it a little stronger than usual. No more than your usual blue shit.” Eren shrugged.

 

“Levi usually makes those and he knows what he’s doing.” Armin realized that he could lean on Jean for support and blame it on the alcohol and figure out what to do with the other confusing feelings later. He extracted his hand from Jean’s back pocket and sat down quickly.

 

“He also had whiskey but I don’t know how much.” Jean’s face was red. Or rather, his ears were red. “I’m actually not sure he can perform like this. He’s acting a little…”

 

“I’m okay. I can still dance like this. I can get through four more songs.”

 

“You probably can... but can you do it _well_?” Eren asked, changing his clothes quickly.

 

Thunder rumbled through the sky, and while Jean and Eren were looking through the blinds to assess the weather, Armin hid under a table as a preventative measure where his thoughts scattered and reorganized themselves. _‘Ah! Attack! If were being shelled, could this little table help me? It would increase my risk of survival by a small percentage. Maybe. Wait, what the hell am I doing? Who is going to be shelling anyone? If that was an explosion it didn’t seem like anyone is reacting. No one is screaming. I could nap under here. Jean is looking at me again. Act natural._ ’

 

“Why are you under the table.” Jean asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

 

“Panicked. It’s cool. Are we ready?” Armin crawled out and found his feet, trying once again to act natural. He put both hands on his hips and struck a pose.

 

“Maybe…” Jean squinted at him.

 

“That storm came up quick,” Eren said. “We’d better hurry and finish up before we get rained out.”

 

“Right,” Jean agreed. “I’ve got Armin, let’s move.”

 

“I’ve got me too. Don’t worry I can walk.” Armin decided to walk down the steps to the outside world to prove it. The sky had been split by fading blue as it shifted to early evening lavender and a large thunderhead that darkened the horizon. The wind ruffled his hair as he stood in awe before Jean linked his arm through his and guided him towards the stage.

 

“I really hope you’ve got this, Armin. I’m trusting your judgment on this. Last chance to chill in the trailer while we finish up.” Jean guided him along.

 

“I can move, I can dance, I can sing. If I stay focused on that, I should be fine. I feel loose, not hammered.” Armin assessed.

 

“Alright. I trust you.” Jean let him walk up the stairs on his own, which Armin was grateful for.

 

“Thank you.” Armin smiled at him, then prepared to go onstage with the group. Sasha was watching him, he knew, but he couldn’t read her expression either. The only thing on his mind was focusing tightly on his performance. Nothing else, not the clouds, not his parents, nothing but one foot in front of the other until the concert was over.

 

They all finished the concert quickly, promising to offer an encore show at the Hole in the Wall on Friday night since the storm had come up rather suddenly. With the bulk of the show behind them, this seemed to please the audience. Armin heard them call out things like “be safe” “we’re here for you” “we’ll protect you always” and the usual marriage proposals that were never for him. On any other day, these things would not faze him. Today, he felt sadness as he finished his bows and headed backstage. He thought about what it might be like to feel desired by fans, or by anyone. The only person that ever had had later decided that if she had desired him, she didn’t realize the full picture of who he was, and the finished canvas was off putting. And he, in the infinite wisdom of the self hating, understood and was happy to stay friends. Only now was he beginning to challenge this idea; that he wasn’t so strange as to have to shield himself from his friends and that he and Annie were simply not romantically compatible. And she’d been crushing on Bertholdt for years before that, and probably never got over that and might have gone right back to it. Maybe it was guilt that pushed her to dig for reasons to push him away. Maybe it was a lot of things. They weren’t compatible.

 

Nothing more.  

 

And maybe he was gay. She seemed to think he was, but he was certain he felt attraction to women. Now he had to deal with the new information that he was attracted to men, too. He was also completely comfortable with being alone, or so he’d thought. His parents probably wouldn’t care about things like his sexual identity; their conversations had always been frank. He knew his father was bisexual, and he knew that his mother only cared about him being responsible about whatever he chose to do. And the deep pitted ache returned to his stomach when he thought about what might have become of them. He’d always considered himself lucky, and began to fear that he may have taken it for granted.  He wandered swimming in his own deep thoughts all the way back to the trailer to change into regular clothes. He was joined not long after by the rest of the group as they brought in their flowers. Someone made and gifted Eren with a lifesize cutout of [Alex Louis Armstrong](http://i48.servimg.com/u/f48/14/68/08/67/tumblr11.jpg) with his own face cutout and added to it, which Eren was still laughing over and immediately began dressing it in Jean’s clothing. Armin began giggling to himself; the cutout was magnificent. Eren placed it in a window of the trailer so that everyone could see it when they passed by.

 

“Alright everyone. Eren and I are going to head to our place to get some necessities for tonight. Is there a movie you want me to bring or anything I can pick up?” Mikasa spoke up as she pulled on her coat and baseball cap.

 

“Connie and I are going to go grab a bite to eat tonight but we’ll be over right after and he says to call if we need absolutely anything. We’re gonna tow the trailer to the townhouse tonight and garage it to keep it safe.” Sasha finished braiding her hair and shook off her coat, which had become covered in leaves. “That storm came out of nowhere though; I didn’t see it in the forecast but I guess it was unseasonably warm today.”

 

Jean turned off the lights near the vanity mirrors as he pulled on his coat. “It’s going to cool off quick, so expect fog tonight and frost overnight. I’m going to run home and then take Armin to his place and we’ll be over. My phone is on, I’m assuming his is also.”

 

Armin nodded, then giggled as his phone vibrated. He checked it; an assurance from Marco that he’d be on duty all night and to call if he needed anything. Marco. He was kinda cute, too. And wow he was still a little tipsy for sure, because that was a shiny new observation too.

 

“Armin are you drunk?” Mikasa poked him. Armin laughed, then nodded.

 

“Yeahhh...I’m sorry. It’ll be gone soon though. It’s already starting to wear off I think.”

 

“You performed like that? How?” Mikasa pulled her bag up onto her shoulder.

 

“Extreme focus and undivided attention. I didn’t want to make us look bad so I did the best I could to hide it, but all of the focusy bit is starting to wear off and I’m starting to feel...floppy...fuzzy...whatever..again. Ah, sobering reality you shall return soon.” Armin grinned.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got him. We’ll see you guys at the Leonhardt compound at 20:00. C’mon Min, we’re off.” Jean slung Armin over his shoulder before he had a chance to protest, but protesting wasn’t immediately important so he waved at his bandmates and uttered a ‘bye bye love you mean it’ from about halfway down Jean’s back. Sasha waved back and tried not to laugh.

 

Armin kinda bounced with the rhythm of Jean’s steps as they walked back to the parking lot, and the rocking motion began to lull him into a state of drowsiness. He would have fallen asleep entirely if it weren’t for a fan in the parking lot who called out to them.

 

“Ow OW! Get it, Jean! Make sure you wake him up first!”

Jeans torso chest rumbled with a response Armin didn’t quite catch, but he thought it was “have a good night” or something equally polite.

 

“Okay, now I’m embarrassed. You can put me down now, please.” Armin protested and pushed against him a little. Jean obliged, since they were near his suv anyway.

 

“Sorry. People are weird. They mean well.” Jean said, unlocking the car and opening the door for Armin to scramble in. He seated himself and pulled on his seatbelt. The clouds finally gave up the precipitation they were threatening, and fat raindrops began to pelt the windshield and roof.

 

“It’s okay.” Armin said as Jean climbed into the driver’s seat, his jacket dotted with rain drops. They were in his hair too, Armin noticed. “I don’t really care what anyone thinks, but I’m not a sack of potatoes. I am liable to be mashed.”

 

“Do you mind if we hit my place first? I only have to grab the bag Marlowe set out for me, so it won’t be but a minute.”

 

“Sure, I might just fall asleep. It’s raining and it’s cozy in here. Also I am inebriated. I apologize for this inconvenience; the circumstances are extraordinary.” Armin tried to enunciate his words clearly, but Jean just nodded in understanding. “Hey, Jean.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can we take the ocean highway? It’s going to be amazing in this storm and I don’t want to miss it.”

 

“...actually yes. That sounds good.” Jean smiled a little and started the car. He played with the radio until stopping on Snow Patrol’s “[Hands Open](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IeT9ZRiRw)” and turned on the heater. Armin wiggled down into the warmth of his coat and sighed. Jean drove to his house first, because it was only a mile or so from the festival grounds. Armin managed to stay conscious despite the metronome of windshield wipers attempting to lure him into sleep by singing along to the radio. Jean ran inside, then ran back with a large reusable cloth shopping bag with the distinct indentation of a stand mixer and probably clothes. He tossed it in the back seat and climbed back in.

 

“Ocean adventure here we come.” Jean backed the car out of the driveway and saluted Marlowe who was waving at them from the doorway. Armin traced the raindrop trails on his window, silently racing them against the other. Slowly, the crashing sea came into view; white caps raging against a slate grey sky. Armin straightened in his seat trying to get a better view.

 

“This might sound weird--” ...“This might be strange but--” they both spoke at the same time.

 

“No, go ahead, you first.” Armin waited.

 

“Do you mind if I put the window down?” Jean asked.

 

“Oh, thank god.” Armin said as he lowered his window in response, fat raindrops splashed against his face as the wind roared in. Jean grinned and did the same, flinging his arm out the window to catch the wind as they sped down the highway along the rocky causeway. Armin found himself laughing as he enjoyed the storm. Lightning streaked across the road ahead of them, purpling the sky and leaving blue afterstrike on their vision. Moments later, thunder shook the car and both of them yelled through its duration. Kindred spirits, Armin thought as Jean laughed at his own behaviour. He decided to push his luck and commandeered control of the ipod.

 

“What are you doing?” Jean kept his eyes on the road, but there weren’t many cars out.

 

“Judge me all you like.” Armin replied, and blasted the Scorpions’ ‘[Rock You Like a Hurricane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxdmw4tJJ1Y)”.

 

“Oh my god.” Was all Jean could manage before he took an abrupt exit to the beach, switching to four wheel drive and driving out just far enough on the sand that they wouldn’t be in danger of losing more traction.

 

“What are you--?” Armin’s question was answered by Jean opening his door and grinning like a madman.

 

“Get out!”

 

“IT WASN’T THAT BAD!” Armin had to shout a little over the wind. Jean shook his head and pulled the blonde out of the front seat, leaving both doors of the SUV wide open blaring rock music into the storm. Jean yelled the lyrics into the wind and ran around kicking up sand and whooping and hollering at the frothing sea. Armin watched him as though he was seeing a mythological creature for the first time, then started shouting unintelligibly at the ocean as the wind whipped through their hair and ballooned out their coats and utterly soaked them. Two half crazed men playing chicken with fate as lightning continued it’s indiscriminate strikes; whatever strange ritual it was, Armin was sure that on some level it was an ancient one. He fell over into the sand laughing, chest heaving as the song ended. Jean stood over him and leaned down to offer him a hand up.

 

“I don’t break out my air guitar for just any occasion,” Jean said. “but we ought to get out of the lightning for now.”

 

Armin nodded and took Jean’s hand, still needing a little assistance to find his feet. The alcohol at least was finally wearing off, or so he believed. He stumbled backwards against the car, pulling Jean with him in an effort to not fall over. Jean’s body pressed against him, and Armin was astonished to feel the difference between the wet and raw wind and the warm shelter from it he found himself in. All of his senses were heightened by the energy of the storm. Falling had been an accident, but Jean didn’t move. Armin met his eyes with curiosity only to find hazel eyes shining back at him with a fey quality that shot through him like lightning. The adrenaline surging in his veins was set aflame with something more. He felt a hand in his hair, fingers fighting blonde tangles, then another as it cradled the side of his face. Jean’s expression was as stormy and conflicted as the air around them, but his eyes retained their piercing gaze. Armin was somehow both too exhausted and too alive to make sense of any of it, so he closed his eyes and relaxed into the sensation. He let Jean run his fingers through his hair, and wipe away sand that had stuck to his face. Whatever this was he wasn’t sure, but the ipod shuffled itself to [Blank Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg) by Taylor Swift, and the spell was broken. Armin snapped his eyes open and raised an eyebrow at Jean before he started singing along. Jean smirked a little and looked away at the sea, a rough chuckle escaping his throat. Armin was certain he looked disappointed.

 

“Lets go.”

 

“Ok.”

 

Jean helped him back into his seat and closed the door, and before long they were back on the road. For a while neither of them spoke, until Armin felt something break within him and started laughing.

 

“That was fucking AWESOME.”

 

“I know. I haven’t done that in forever.” Jean’s mood seemed to lighten pretty quickly. The whites of his knuckles disappeared as he relaxed his grip  on the steering wheel.

 

“Jean, I have a question.”

 

Jean’s death grip on the steering wheel returned. “What’s that?”

 

“How the hell is it whenever I wind up out with you somewhere one or both of us always winds up soaking wet? What kind of a habit is this?”

 

His grip relaxed again. “I don’t know, Min. Some kind of freaky fate thing.”

 

“I didn’t know you listened to Taylor Swift”

 

“I didn’t know you were a metal head.”

 

“I didn’t know you put any stock in fate.”

 

“I don’t pretend I have all the answers.”

 

“Oh ho. Let’s test fate then, shall we? I will give it a fair shot this one time. For you.” Armin smirked. “Shufflemancy will decide for us. Cosmos, what message do you have for us right now?” He pressed the forward button and waited.

 

Fate responded with “[Can’t Deny My Love](https://youtu.be/9iiDlU4rhlY?t=1m2s)” by Brandon Flowers. They sat in silence listening to the song which ended with supernatural timing the moment Jean pulled into Armin’s u-shaped driveway.

 

“Shit.” Jean exhaled.

 

Armin realized he’d been holding his breath for a while when he found his voice. “That was really weird. I think fate ships us.” Lightning crashed on cue. Armin jumped, and the rain came down in sheets so thick it was difficult to see his front door.

 

“You got keys ready?”

 

“Yeah, we’re going to have to run for it. And better come with; I don’t have anything collected and ready to go.” Armin pulled his keys out of his coat pocket.

 

“Alright. On three we run.” Jean turned the car off” “One...two...threeeeeOOOOH MY GOOOODDD ITS SO MUCH WATER WHAT THE HELL?!?!”

 

Armin ran with a hand in front of his face so he could locate the security system keypanel by the door and key his code, then he fought with unlocking the door. Jean was doing an anxious dance that gave the impression that perhaps if he kept moving he could dodge a few extra raindrops. Armin got the door open and held it for Jean to go in first, then followed him inside to a dark house.

 

“Shoes off, please.” Armin slid off his shoes and slid on the linoleum floor because of the sheer amount of water they’d brought in with them. He caught himself this time. He looked around at the darkness of his home while Jean removed his boots. Paranoia washed over him, even though rationally he knew that no one had broken in because no one had entered their security codes since he left yesterday afternoon. Lightning illuminated everything for a brief moment, and all of the boring mundane trappings of his home were still exactly where he left them. He exhaled, and Jean bumped into him. Their wet clothes were starting to get cold, and they were dripping water everywhere.

 

“Here.” Armin reached into the hall closet and tossed Jean a beach towel. “Dry off a little. You brought a change of clothes, right? I can toss our wet things in the drier now or we can just stay damp until we get to Annie’s.”  
  
“Hah, I’m not driving in that right now. You must be crazy.” Jean tossed the towel over his head to dry his hair.

“Alright, laundry room is this way.” Armin led him down a hallway, averting his eyes when he passed the door to his parents room. Avoided looking at the photos in the hallway. He swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat and stepped into the laundry room to open the drier. Jean didn’t quite keep up with Armin’s rapid march through the hallway, and didn’t immediately follow him.

 

“Hey, is that a picture of you in the weird looking olive costume?” Jean peeked his head around the corner.

 

“It’s not an olive. It’s a cell. I was an animal cell for Halloween one year.” Armin prayed these questions would be limited to stupid things he’d done as a kid. The answer seemed to appease Jean, who didn’t try to hide a smirk.

 

“You were a fucking adorable kid.”

 

“Yeah, I wonder what happened.” Armin pulled his shirt off and threw it in the drier. He rifled around in a basket of folded laundry until he found a fresh tshirt to wear and put that on.

 

“You grew up. Clearly.” Jean peeled off his socks and threw them in the drier. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever been to your house. I’m a little surprised.”

 

“By what? That it doesn’t look like a gothic nightmare?”

 

“Actually? A little. But I didn’t realize you guys were loaded. Is that a pool out back?”

 

“Ah, correction. My parents are loaded. I’m a college student. Also, I live upstairs. It’s basically an apartment, but we share the laundry room and the library down here.” Armin tried to find a shirt or anything that would fit Jean, but the closest things he could find belonged to his father and it felt wrong somehow. Instead, he tossed Jean a pair of his oversized matching pajamas and turned around to let him change. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I have any brand new boxers for you to wear.”  
  
“That’s allright. Friends go commando in friend’s pajama pants.” Jean cackled. Armin wrinkled his nose.

 

“Oh, yaaaay.” Armin slipped behind a changing screen and quickly finished putting on dry clothes. He picked up a fresh towel and started drying his hair. “I can run up and get my things and meet you in the living room. Bathroom is third door on the right.”

 

“Okay, good. I was about to ask.” Jean must have looked ridiculous in Armin’s bunny pajamas, but he didn’t seem to care. Armin bolted upstairs to gather his things; two books, his laptop, his glasses, contact solution, a change of clothes, and a wallet sized picture of his family and tossed it in a duffel bag. He fed his turtle and his fish, and ran back downstairs to feed the family cats. When he made his way to the living room, Jean was not there. He reached to flip the light on and his hand landed on another hand reaching for the switch, he gasped and nearly lept out of his skin. Lightning flashed again, illuminating a surprised looking Jean.

 

“Whoah, it’s me. Sorry I didn’t know where the living room was. First time and all. Also how many cats do you have?!” Jean put his hands up defensively.

 

“Right...sorry...I forgot...whew. Breathe. Air. Yes. Three cats.” Armin set his bag down safely, and started to cross the living room with the intention of turning on the fireplace for warmth when thunder roared so loudly he reacted by dropping to his knees and covering his ears. He was completely surrounded by reminders he didn’t want, memories kept marching their way to the forefront of his mind, worry bit into his stomach, and he became desperate for a distraction.

 

“You’re not alright, are you.” Jean knelt down next to him. His presence felt like safety. It was comforting, and Armin needed to get closer to it.

 

“No,” Armin choked. “Help.”

 

“How can I help? Do I need to get your inhaler?”

 

“No. That’s not it. Please forgive me. I don’t understand why I’m doing this.” Armin gripped Jean’s shirt and pulled him close enough to see his face in the dim light, searching for permission. “I need to be close to you. My thoughts are so loud. Everything is so loud.”  

 

“I can’t take it anymore, either.” Jean’s words barely escaped his lips before he pressed them to Armin’s. He tasted like rain and the sea, and Armin wanted to drown in it. He pulled Jean closer, licking at the slim line of his mouth and begging him to deepen the kiss. Jean didn’t need further encouragement, and the two became lost to each other; gasping for air and tangling with one another as their wandering hands scrambled for purchase. Armin pulled him to the floor roughly and snaked his legs around Jean’s waist, whose hands had found their way beneath Armin’s shirt. A memory stirred in Armin’s mind, and he leaned up and kissed along his jawline until he nipped the side of Jean’s neck out of revenge. The moan that escaped Jean’s throat was not what he had expected, and Armin gasped as Jean ground his hips against him. The sensation clouded his mind and left him dizzy as he kissed Jean again; he wasn’t sure where this was going but he didn’t care. Warmth spread through him like lava and replaced his rational thought with desperate need.

 

But was this fair? He wondered. Jean seemed to think so. At least at the moment.

 

And then Jean’s phone rang. The two looked at each other, both of them not really interested in taking a call, but they knew that they had to. Jean groaned and sat up to read the caller id.

 

“It’s Marco.” Jean explained, his voice huskier than Armin had ever remembered hearing it. He sounded like a different person.

 

“Oh…” Armin exhaled, trying to push back the creeping dread. If it was bad news, he didn’t mind receiving it from beneath Jean he’d decided. The thought surprised him.

 

“I better answer it.” Jean cleared his throat.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Hey man, what’s up. Yeah? ...I think his phone is turned off.” Jean glanced down at Armin. “I see. Is that all that you can tell me? Okay. ...Right...When will we know? Okay. Thank you, I understand. Call me in the morning. Later.” He hung up and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

 

“Just tell me, Jean.” Armin felt totally sober now.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s not much comfort. They found your parents’ car abandoned on rt 104. They’re treating it like a crime scene, and they’ll have to tow the car to search for clues and scan it for evidence. Marco says he’s really sorry he can’t say more right now, but he says the car isn’t in bad shape. That probably means something more to him than it does to either of us, but that’s the short of it.” Jean tossed his phone lightly to the side. “We should probably get back to Annie’s and the others soon. Apparently we’ve been here an hour.”

 

Armin was sure his heart had frozen back over; the knot in his chest made him cough. This was too much for one day from the moment he woke up, and he decided fate was probably an asshole. If the car wasn’t in bad shape, that was probably Marco’s subtle way of saying that it wasn’t a bloody mess. It was a small relief. He sat up and leaned his head against Jean’s chest. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome. I mean it,” Jean petted Armin’s hair. “I meant all of it. Even. You know.”

 

Armin nodded his head, listening to Jean’s heartbeat. “I know. Me too," he paused. "Don’t worry; I’m sober.”

 

He interlaced his fingers with Jean’s and the two sat watching the rain for a while, hoping against all odds that his parents weren’t out in it somewhere. It was the first time he could remember not feeling alone.

 

~

* * *

Chapter music notes: 

[Take Me Home, Country Roads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo) \- John Denver  
[Let it Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MK7qz13bU) \- Frozen  
[Mirrors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4By_cfI_1g) \- Natalia Kills  
[Dance in the Graveyards](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0) \- Delta Rae  
[Hands Open](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IeT9ZRiRw) \- Snow Patrol  
[Rock You Like a Hurricane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxdmw4tJJ1Y) \- The Scorpions  
[Blank Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg) \- Taylor Swift  
[Can't Deny My Love](https://youtu.be/9iiDlU4rhlY?t=1m2s) \- Brandon Flowers

 

  
BY THE WAY! I had a moment and managed to work up/draw the character fashion designs for the Jaegerbomb's Fall Festival First performance! :D Hope you like them!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for I have sinned.
> 
> But don't take this too seriously; I don't.


	9. American Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long long time ago  
> I can still remember how  
> That music used to make me smile  
> And I knew if I had my chance  
> That I could make those people dance  
> And maybe they'd be happy for a while  
> But February made me shiver  
> With every paper I'd deliver  
> Bad news on the doorstep  
> I couldn't take one more step  
> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER COMES WITH A WARNING:
> 
> This is going to be a very, very rough ride. Sometimes things have to get much worse before they get better, and this is unfortunately the 'getting worse' part. I promise you, dear readers, that I may break your heart but that this story will not end in tragedy. Please bear with me.
> 
> If violence, mentions of blood or wounds upsets you, you may wish to skip the second part of this chapter and continue with the beginning of next chapter. I won't leave you hanging for long. Kinda like a 12 episode anime series: shit starts to hit the fan around the 8th episode, things get rough in 9 and 10, and clear up and resolve towards the end.

 

Eren was often the last to know things, but the quickest to adapt to whatever was going on once he figured it out. He never forgot things; not a single compliment someone had gifted him or even when someone had tied his shoes to the merry-go-round with him still in them. When he chose vengeance, the idea never left his mind until he had properly dealt with it.

 

At the moment, an anonymous asshole was hurting his friends and he had no idea how to handle it. If he hadn’t started the Jaegerbombs, it probably wouldn’t have happened played out the way it did with everyone’s lives in danger. He imagined that a lot of the guilt he was feeling was similar to the other self-depreciating thoughts the others were keeping close. He wasn’t an idiot; they wore it on their faces and chose softer words than usual. His personal vehicle to process the troubles of his mind was music; the cosmos wound itself into his guitar strings and gave strength to his voice. He couldn’t find the ends now; the threads he could weave together to create a healing melody. The stars were cold and obscure.

 

Every night that week, the Jaegerbombs holed up in Annie’s house, her father still out on some mysterious errand. They all agreed that this week could be best survived if they be allowed to have the space they needed and that they would talk about the difficult issues at hand on Friday night. During the day, they each had to work their regular jobs. Despite the turmoil, no one missed a day or called out because ‘to hell with terrorists’, and no one experienced harassment anywhere. Levi especially stayed close to Sasha whenever he could. Mikasa spent her time outside rehearsing choreography to perfect it, and always asked Sasha to join her. On the one hand, he was thankful that he wasn’t being asked to dance all day...but on the other hand he’d felt somehow replaced and it was a foreign feeling to him. On the other hand, he realized that he’d never questioned living with Mikasa even after they’d graduated. Life was just too good here to think about pursuing a future somewhere else and starting again. Annie, Connie, and Sasha spent time on the computer at night, hidden away in her father’s study where they were Not Supposed To Be. Eventually Annie revealed that her father worked for the government, but could not disclose which branch and warned that asking her would get their asses on a list somewhere. Eren still wanted to know. There were too many questions he had about aliens.

 

He spent a lot of time working on music with Jean, reviewing material and critiquing each other’s work. They both had incredibly high standards set for themselves when it came to composing, and frequently called upon Armin to settle differences between whether something was ACTUALLY musically sound or “just too fuckin’ tight not to share with the world, forget the rules.” By and large, Armin spent time keeping his own company because he was having trouble expressing himself properly while the police continued compiling evidence from his parent’s abandoned vehicle. He was in a sort of purgatory between now and knowing that any outcome was bound to change his life. Eren wasn’t sure what to do but keep him distracted, so he forced Armin to read a stack of his favorite manga. Eren knew that Armin was already in mourning, and there wasn’t much anyone could do. He noticed that Jean paid a lot of attention and care on keeping Armin comfortable. Eren could not understand how, despite the cannonball of heavy issues that were plaguing Armin, he still managed to keep working at the funeral parlor. A dark part of Eren wondered if he’d have the strength to embalm any of them if the need arose. He stifled that thought by stuffing an entire cupcake in his mouth (to be fair, Jean made excellent cupcakes) and smiling open-mouthed at Connie, who did the same.

 

On Friday morning, they all decided to gather and discuss things, so Eren gathered them. Hanji and Levi both agreed to meet them and take part in the conversation because it concerned all of them and Levi would not be kept apart from them. Hanji had some information about what was going on, but not all of it by any means. It was evident that she wasn’t sure what was driving Levi, but instead of questioning it she brought pizza for everyone when they arrived.

 

“Alright friends. We’re gonna do this thing together. Everyone will get a chance to speak, and everyone has to speak before we break the meeting, ok?” Eren began the meeting. “We have a lot to cover regarding our concerns and we all need to be aware of everything to keep ourselves safe. Understand?”

 

Those gathered around the table (and the pizzas) bobbled their heads in agreement.

 

“Who wants to go first?” Eren looked around.

 

“I will,” Sasha spoke up. “We’ve been doing a lot of research and have come to some conclusions we are reasonably certain of. Don’t ask how we figured some of it out, but we’ve done a little internet bitchcraft and stretched some connections to try and make things difficult for my ‘friends’ back home. I’ll start with the bad news: it seems that the individuals responsible for the threat and the attacks on the club were hired by the individual I had an issue with in Alabama. That’s how he’s keeping his hands clean of this situation. He fucked up though, because the rental car was rented in his name which is a little ray of sunshine for us and will be a coffin nail for him. More on the bad news though; they are both contract killers. Annie and Marco both believe that this asshole has adopted the ‘if I can’t have her no one can’ approach, which makes these two hitmen especially dangerous. The danger level in dealing with them is very high, and it’s likely that they aren’t just out for me. The police department believes we are all in a lot of danger. Connie’s father is going to send out two units for the concert tonight; one in the club and one to patrol the block. The good news: we’ve identified them and will be able to spot them if we see them.” Sasha slid two printed photographs on the table. Eren picked them up to examine them first. He was surprised; they didn’t have the faces he thought a killer might have. One of them looked like he couldn’t be but seventeen. The other looked like he could be someone’s father. He realized that this is probably how they’ve managed to remain at large; they don’t look dangerous. He frowned.

 

“I’m finished. Connie?” Sasha looked to Connie, who was swallowing a large bite of cheese pizza. He wiped his mouth off with a napkin before continuing.

 

“I knew all of that, but I know that it’s news to a lot of you. Do you guys have any questions?” Connie looked around. Jean and Mikasa raised their hands.

“Mikasa can go first,” Jean said.

 

“Thanks. I guess my question is what can we do to protect ourselves? Some of us have gun licenses, but concealed carry is harder to get. And where is the line between self defense and paranoia?”

 

“I’ve got it.” Annie said. “If your life is in imminent danger, you are allowed to defend yourself with appropriate force. For example, if someone is shooting at you, you can reasonably shoot back. If someone has flipped you off, it is inappropriate to shoot them. Juries would be asked to consider your history of interaction and if the response is adequate in relation to the severity of the attack, IE answering deadly force with deadly force instead of responding excessively. In any event, remain calm. We do not yet have a sniper situation on our hands, but we well could if we continue to make it difficult for these criminals to complete their task. We believe a hostage situation is imminent given the lack of recovery of the Arlerts. The police department is handling it.”

 

“I’m a little intimidated that you know all of this, Annie,” Eren made a face. Armin focused on the soda in his cup. He hadn’t had any alcohol since the night of the festival.   
  
“Good. As to the weapons licensing, speak to me after the class.” Annie crossed her arms and leaned against the couch to indicate she was done speaking.”

 

“Does that answer your question, Mikasa?” Connie asked.

 

“Yep. I’ll see you after class, Annie.”

 

“What was your question, Jean?” Connie said.

 

“I was just wondering if perhaps we should all just bite the bullet and take a week off of work next week. I am actually positive that I saw that young guy in my bakery this week loitering. It didn’t even occur to me that he might be one of the guys we were looking for.” Jean looked genuinely concerned and upset. Eren decided he didn’t like morose Jean; it meant that things were serious.

 

“My father is going to insist that you do, especially with news like that. Now that we have photos of these assholes, we’re doubling down on our search. At this moment, I’m going to insist that you all stay here for an entire week.” Connie rubbed his forehead. “We’re going to have to be extra alert at the show tonight.

 

“I’m prepared for that.” Annie said simply.

 

“Oh my god, Jean. That guy was in your workplace? Do you think they’re above planting bombs?” Eren couldn’t help asking.

 

“Probably. Unless they’re desperate, a bomb would be an escalation. It doesn’t fit their M.O. Too messy for contract killers. We’re not sure they’re skilled enough to make a bomb, and to be honest if they’d already planted one we’d know about it by now. They MAY have been scoping the place out.” Annie answered.

 

“May I say something?” Levi spoke up. Everyone nodded. “Thank you. First of all, I’m shocked and grieved that it’s come this far for all of you. None of you deserve this and if you weren’t sure, you are all absolutely innocent in this. The people who commit crimes are the criminals, and I don’t care what it is if you have a request that I can fulfill do not hesitate. You need some quiet time away from the group? My home is open to you and I assure you no one is getting to you there. I’m sure this is a confusing time for you and many of your thoughts are irrational. Many of them may also be sobering and completely rational. Whatever they are, I’ll listen. I mean that.”

 

Eren was a little surprised. Levi was always a good sport in a no-nonsense way and he was reliable as any bartender Eren had ever known. It was so easy to forget that Levi’s sarcastic veneer and sometimes acerbic interactions were born of many years of loss in combat. Eren knew he meant every word. He also knew Levi would hit him if he hugged him. Instead, he smiled at Levi and responded.

 

“Thanks, man. You are the best.” Eren said. Levi looked at him with serious eyes.

 

Sasha nodded, surprise evident in her eyes. Of all of them, Levi had been the most suspicious of her when she’d appeared. Connie seemed relieved. Armin raised his head to acknowledge Levi and nodded lightly.

  


“Who is next?” Eren looked around. “We’ve heard from Sasha, Annie, Mikasa, Jean, me I guess, Connie, and Levi so far. Armin? Hanji?”

 

“I’m not sure what to say. Hanji can go first.” Armin reached for another piece of pizza, stealing glances at the photographs on the table.

 

“I just want to echo Levi and say that I had no idea how far this had gone, and I’m behind you one hundred percent. You know that myself, Moblit, Levi, Ymir and everyone else at the club have your backs tonight especially. I’m sure you already know how much your fans have pulled together. They’ll probably be thinking the same things, so I hope they remain reasonable about this. I cannot accept them walking into the club armed to the teeth and trigger happy.” Hanji said.

 

“I won’t tolerate it either unless they want to be cuffed like kittens and tossed into a dumpster. We know they want to help, but curb the enthusiasm a little.” Levi added.

 

“I’ll post something on the forums, “Mikasa said. “Historia is usually really good at managing things like that and keeping things under control.”

“Are you sure you guys are good to perform tonight? Be honest.” Eren asked.

 

Jean nudged Armin, who had fallen asleep against his arm and woke with a start. “What? I’m sorry.”

 

“Dude have you even slept at all this week?” Eren said.

 

“Not well. A little the last couple of nights.” Armin shrugged. “And about thirty seconds just now.”

 

“Look, I gotta be honest. I think you should just sit this one out. You’re a mess.” Eren assessed. Internally, he wondered how Armin would react if either of those two people who kidnapped his parents came strolling into the club during the concert. He genuinely had no idea how the blonde might react. Armin had two settings generally: Thoughtfully sarcastic, or cold and brave as hell. He wasn’t sure what might flip that switch. His thoughts were interrupted by Armin’s laugh, which surprised him.

 

“HA! Hahaha! What gave you that idea? Listen, I know you’re all worried about everything. I see you guys tiptoeing around and I tell you-- I appreciate it. I appreciate the effort. If I’m honest, I’m not hopeful, ok? They’ve been missing for so long that if they are still alive, I know they’ll do anything to prevent harm coming to any of you even at their own expense. I’m mourning because even if they come home safely, our lives are already changed forever. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, I’m a mess. But if the alternative is remaining in a vegetative state, crying alone and shielding myself from the world then I’d much rather be playing music with you all. At least that’s creating instead of destroying. It’s giving to a world that needs so much healing for so many broken people. I was broken long before this ever happened, so yeah I might need some help but don’t keep me from doing the things I love.” Armin had tears on his face, but he didn’t seem aware of it. He just pushed through. Eren felt his heart break a little. He had no idea how he’d react to something happening to either of his parents, but he knew that it would consume him for a very long time.

 

For a while, no one knew what to say. Eren was surprised that Jean was the first to speak.

 

“Min, anything you need. We just want you to be ok. It’s hard when so much is unknown and out of our hands, but we’ll do whatever we can.” Jean put an arm around Armin and pulled him close reassuringly. Armin did not resist. Eren got the sneaking suspicion that things were going on again without his knowing it, but if Armin was alright then it was all fine.

 

“Alright. Are we ready for this show?” Eren asked. Everyone nodded. “Alright, put em in.”

 

Eren put his hand in the center, Mikasa followed, then everyone put their hands together. “One two three JAEGERBOMBS!”

 

* * *

 

 

Marco guarded the door at the Hole in the Wall for much of the evening in full uniform. No one had started any trouble, and he wasn’t about to let any trouble start. He noticed that Levi kept making eye contact with him and nodding throughout the evening. He also noticed that a lot of club goers were falling into the traditional ‘tip toe around the cop’ mentality. For tonight, he was satisfied with that behaviour. This town was not accustomed to dealing with this level of violence. Folks were polite, peaceful, and for the most part the biggest complaints were domestic disputes or noise violations. He’d been a cop for five years now, but his heart was in music like just about everyone else.

 

If he was honest, he’d much rather be listening to good music than doing traffic stops. His partner was sitting in a patrol car further down the block with an additional car making the rounds, which gave him plenty of confidence in their ability to keep things under control. He was busy enjoying a stage from Marlowe and Hitch when Connie sidled up to him with a plate of food.

 

“Hey, man! How’s it goin’?” Marco gratefully accepted the plate.

 

“It’s goin’, Marco. Everyone’s backstage trying to hide how nervous they are. Well...except for Eren. He’s backstage getting pumped and ready to kick some ass.”

 

“As long as someone hits him first, I don’t particularly care. He better keep himself under control though.” Marco took a bite of sandwich. “Oh my gods….Connie I don’t understand!”

 

“Understand what?!” Connie looked confused. Marco knew Con-man wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was fun to pick on.

 

“HOW did you take this ordinary eggplant and turn it into something so delicious. It’s unreal. It’s just melting in my mouth. I’m entering a mystical fairy forest and eggplant is my guide to the spirit realm.”

 

“Ok man if you start faking an orgasm in public I’m gonna ask you to guard outside.” Connie looked around at the crowd.

 

“Can I be lewd with the French Fries?”

 

“Only if you want to summon Sasha.”

 

“Wow. I don’t even want to know.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“I’m on duty anyway. I’ll order more food when I’m off the clock.”

 

“You not going to dance with them in your uniform tonight?” Connie grinned.

“Nah. They’ve got it under control. Plus Jean gets nervous whenever I wear firearms. He’s probably a lot more unnerved right now than he’s letting on. Can you bring him some French Fries for me?”

 

“On it.”

 

“Oh, and tell Levi to send Mikasa a cosmo for me.” Marco handed Connie a ten dollar bill.

 

“Oh ho ho really?” Connie squinted at him a little. Marco shrugged.

 

“It’s been a hell of a week.”

 

“Truth. Alright see you after.” Connie disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Marco to enjoy the show from the back of the room. Because the stage area they were working with was smaller, the Jaegerbombs chose to forego the dancing and picked up their instruments again for a live set. Marco absolutely loved live music, and if he was honest, he also loved watching Mikasa play live music. Both he and Jean had been sweet on her since they were younger, but when Eren moved in with her Jean’s interest seems to have faded. Marco didn’t know what Eren’s relationship was with Mikasa, but he did know that Eren was totally blind to how Mikasa felt. And Marco knew that he didn’t really have a chance with Eren around but he’d do little things like buy her drinks and cheer her on just because she deserved it. He was glad to know that she had a lot of fans, at least. If she was happy, he was happy.

 

The Jaegerbombs took the stage to roaring cheers from the crowd. One week was a lot of time to stir up hype on the fan forums, and it seemed like nothing would keep this group down. They played an hour long set; 20 minutes of covers, 20 minutes of original material, and 20 minutes of requests.

 

If anyone asked for Marco’s opinion, and certainly no one was, he could watch Mikasa sing her cover of Mirrors forever. He wondered how the hell a warm blooded human could ignore a performance like that, but Eren never seemed to watch it. It was a shame; he had no idea what he was missing.

 

Once their stage had ended, the Hole in the Wall closed the venue early to secure a safe exit route for the bands and for fans and attendees to also find another place to be for their own protection. It would cost them a lot to close the bar three hours early, but Hanji especially did not want to risk anyone’s safety.

 

When the doors closed, the band and employees got to hang in the VIP lounge for a bit. Marco decided to join them to catch up since the front doors were locked and barred.

 

“Hey you guys! Great show!” Marco walked in and stood by the door, just in case.

 

“Marco!” Eren bounced up from the leather couch. “How are things? Quiet I hope.”

 

Mikasa smiled at him, and Marco couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks for the drink, Marco. I really appreciated it.”

 

“My pleasure. I just wanted to check in with you all and see how you were holding up.” Marco was addressing Sasha and Armin more specifically. Sasha shrugged. Armin just looked at him with eyes that said everything he needed to. “My partner and I are assigned to follow you guys home like an escort just to make sure no one tries anything between here and there. We don’t want anyone following you.”

 

“Ugh, I want a piece of these assholes so badly.” Eren grumped. “Haven’t you guys found them yet? I mean it’s not a huge town. You’d think people this brazen would have shown their ass by now.”

 

“That’s the problem with cowards. That’s their style. Hit, run, hide, disappear. They won’t hide forever though, not if they’re under contract.” Marco sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck and replaced his hat. “Are you all ready to go?

 

“I just closed the kitchen, and Levi just finished with the bar. We’re ready when you are. Hoods up everyone.” Connie pulled his jacket on and helped pull Sasha to her feet. The rest of the band and staff pulled their jacket hoods and sweater hoodies up over their heads. Marco led the way with the rest trailing behind them as they headed out into the night air. Marco kept his eyes on the traffic; it was a two lane road. Nobody was sneaking up on them if it was coming down this road, he thought. They waited for Hanji to lock the door and the deadbolt.

 

The first car that passed slowed down, and the group got quiet. Marco slid his hand to the handle of his firearm. The driver rolled down the window and stopped in the street, which irritated the car behind them, and the motorcycle behind that.

 

“HEY! You guys closed already?!” A woman called from the driver’s seat.

 

“Yes, for tonight,” Hanji replied. “We’ll be open again tomorrow at noon!”

 

“Damn that’s a shame,” the car behind them honked. “Everything ok?”

 

“Kitchen repairs. We’ve got someone coming in the morning!” Hanji waved. “Goodnight!”

 

The driver wound up their windows and drove off. The car behind them glared at the group as they passed.

 

“He probably had to take a shit and couldn’t wait,” Levi assessed as they walked out to the street, stepping through the gate that fenced in the outer patio.

It was Mikasa who spotted the attacker first.

 

“GUN!” She screamed as the motorcyclist revved its engine loudly to drown her out as the the driver opened fire. Marco drew his weapon in a flash and aimed to take out the tires on the motorcycle. Mikasa shoved Jean aside with such force that he fell into a table so that she could tackle Sasha to the ground and cover her. Armin dove behind a large potted plant just as the patio was peppered with gunfire, sending shrapnel and bullets ricocheting off in every direction. Hanji tackled Eren behind a stone garbage can. Marco’s bullet struck true on the cyclists leg, causing him to lose some control of his bike but also caused some of his shots to go wild. Marco had never felt pain of the variety that could be mistaken for being hit by a train. His breath left him as he fell backwards, still shielding the girls from the ground. His vision became blurry, but he could see two things; his partner was reacting across the street, and Levi was doing...something.

 

Levi, in his infinite wisdom was having NONE of this. He lept over the fence in one fluid motion and chased the motorcyclist on foot. Adrenaline and catlike reflexes gave him all of the lead he needed to run and land a kick on the driver so powerful it knocked them off the cycle. The Motorcycle skidded down the street in a rain of sparks. Levi walked to the fallen cyclist and stepped on the hand that was still clutching the gun and removed it forcefully, tossing it aside. He stomped down hard on the cyclist’s injured leg.

 

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” Levi spat.

 

“Kill me and they will die for sure,” a younger male voice replied, groaning words through pain.

 

“I’m not going to kill you, moron. You’ll just wish I did if you harm anyone else I care about.”

 

The kid laughed with a husky voice. “Too late for that. I miss my rendezvous and my partner will kill those hostages. He won’t hesitate.”

 

“Oh yeah? That doesn’t inspire me to be very kind to you, brat.” Levi kicked him in the ribs, hard.

 

“I’ll take it from here, Ackerman. Backup just arrived; they’re calling medical.” Marco’s partner knelt down and removed the motorcyclist’s helmit and rolled him to his stomach to cuff them.

 

“Thanks, Eld. I mean it.” Levi glared at the cyclist and stumbled backwards a little. He turned quickly from the two of them and crossed his arms to keep his hands from shaking violently.

 

‘Just keep breathing, Levi. Deep breaths. You did everything you could. It’s not like before. You did everything you could.’ Levi practiced his mantra, but he felt the creeping horror return and he fell to the ground when he walked back through the patio gate, unable to breathe properly. Eren popped up unharmed from behind the trashcan with Hanji, and they both rushed over to help Levi before they fully assessed the situation around them. Another squad car pulled up beside them, blocking the street and covering the area in flashing blue and red lights. The entire thing had transpired in less than twenty seconds.

 

Armin poked his head up around the giant flower pot to examine the bullet holes the pot had taken for him. He was dazed and bleeding a little from minor cuts, but unharmed otherwise. Jean had taken the table down with him and was using it as cover, but the rain of glass from the broken shop window had broken had given him some cuts.

 

“You alright?” Jean asked Armin.

 

“I’m not seriously injured. I don’t know about my nerves. We have to help the others.” Armin snapped out of his daze and ran to the pile of Connie, Marco, Mikasa, and Sasha. Marco was coughing and gasping for air but did not appear to be bleeding. Jean moved him carefully so that he could lean up against the fence and catch his breath.

 

“I’m okay!” Connie said, trying to sit up. “Levi are you ok? Is everyone okay?”

 

“Please help Mikasa. God she jumped right in front of me! I couldn’t stop her! Somebody help!” Sasha was trying to sit up from beneath Mikasa, who was bleeding and muttering.

 

“They didn’t get you, right Sasha?” Mikasa wheezed and reached up to Sasha who was leaning over her. Her voice was strangled. Armin rushed over and put pressure on Mikasa’s wound with one hand, the other putting serious pressure on an artery to slow the bleeding.

 

“No, I’m fine Mika. Don’t talk okay? You'll be ok too. The doctors are coming.” Sasha brushed Mikasa’s bangs out of her face. Eren wanted to be everywhere at once, but he found himself tearing his jacket off to help cover Mikasa’s legs more for warmth. Jean stood up and ran to the squad car to request an ambulance.  

 

“No exit wound, bullet is still inside. Entry is front right ribcage, lung appears to have collapsed but I don’t know how much, puncture almost definite. Damage could be extensive, if we’re lucky it might have lodged in a bone instead of breaking apart.” Armin spoke aloud assessing the situation. “Sasha, keep her head up and her airway clear. Keep her warm. Eren, lay down next to her there. She’s still high on adrenaline but things are gonna dive quick if she goes into shock. I need bandages. WHERE IS THE AMBULANCE?!”

 

Connie tore his shirt off and ripped it into ribbons to soak up the blood and help Armin, who was very clearly not used to working with an audience or on living people. Hanji was huddled with Levi as she coaxed him out of his panic attack, which was a process for those blessed with patience.

 

A red-headed EMT ran over to tend to Mikasa quickly, while a taller man tended to Marco (whose bulletproof vest had done its job). Two shots to a bulletproof vest was no joke, and Marco was struggling but would recover with some serious bruising and the possibility of some cracked ribs.

 

“Hi, Mikasa. I’m Petra. I’m going to take care of you, ok? You’re going to be ok. This part is the worst part but we’re going to get you to the hospital lickity split. Can you hear me?” The redhead pulled out a pair of scissors to cut the clothing around Mikasa’s wound, relieving Armin of his duties. Mikasa nodded weakly, her eyelashes fluttered.

 

“Ok, sweetie we’re going to move you. Everyone else, I’m going to insist that you all go to the hospital immediately. I need someone to travel with Mikasa, those who are not seriously injured should see a doctor just in case. Jean, please ride in the ambulance with Marco.” Petra and Oluo transferred Mikasa to a stretcher quickly and loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Eren hopped into the back with her without a second thought and the vehicle sped off. The vehicle bearing Jean and Marco sped off behind it. Hanji helped Levi into her car and drove along after giving her statement to Eld.

 

Connie’s father ran to the group at top speed and wrapped Connie in an incomparable bear hug. “You’re ok! Oh thank God you’re ok! Connie I’m so sorry we thought we had this under control.”

 

“Pop, easy. You guys reacted super quick. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you weren’t here. It could have been so much worse. I just can’t believe what happened. This feels crazy.” Connie pulled Sasha close to him and held her while he talked to his dad. Armin pulled himself off the ground and wiped his hands on Connie’s discarded tshirt.

 

“C’mon, I’ll take you kids to the hospital. None of you should be alone right now. The crew have this area covered. Don’t even think about walking off, Arlert you’re coming with me.” Connie’s father guided the three wayward Jaegerbombs to his car. Connie tucked himself into the front seat, but Sasha and Armin had to be let into the back seat together.

 

The drive started silent as they rode along the town streets and out into the small stretch of countryside between the campus and the hospital. Armin fell asleep in the squad car almost instantly, startling Sasha. When she realized he was only sleeping, she relaxed and started to nod off herself. She watched the back of her eyelids for a bit until images slowly began to form and a creeping tightness caught her throat. There was a car in a field with goalposts on either end, but it was wrong somehow. When she looked at it, the doors opened and blood came pouring out. She jolted awake gasping.   
  
“Connie! Connie! Oh my god! Connie I saw something and I don’t know why. Please don’t ask me to describe it, but is there a football field near here?” Sasha spoke quickly, her dialect thoroughly wrecking what she was trying to say.

 

“Two. One at the college, the other at the high school. Why?” Connie turned his head and looked at her through the grate that separated the front and back seats. At this point, Connie was fluent in Sasha-ese.

 

“Which one is maroon and gold?”

 

“The High School. It’s about a mile from here. You didn’t answer why?”

 

“You need to send a patrol car there immediately.” Sasha was having trouble explaining herself. It wasn’t just a hunch, but she hadn’t had a good history with people believing her hunches. Connie’s father turned on the radio and sent a patrol car immediately to investigate, that an anonymous tip witnessed potentially dangerous activity on the football field. The radio crackled a response and went silent.

 

“Wow...thanks, Chief,” Sasha was surprised.

 

“Sasha I’ve been on the force too long to ignore a hunch or imagine that mysterious things don’t sometimes happen. You didn’t go to high school there but you knew what the local colors were. That’s all I needed to hear. Don’t worry about it.” Connie’s father Steve replied.

 

As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, the radio crackled back to life.

 

“Hey Chief, there’s a car down here alright. It looks like three people are having an argument. The driver just escalated; firearm is confirmed. Going to approach, over.”

 

“I read. Be careful, Gunther, over.” Connie’s father radio’d back. Sasha was wide awake, and Armin began to stir as they parked the car.

 

“Suspect identified, victims thrown from car. One struck, one shot. Pursuing with lethal force, over,” Gunther radio’d back with gunshots echoing in the background. Sasha was horrified.

 

“Proceed, over,” Steve turned the volume down a little and hopped out of the car quickly to let the captives in the back seat out. “Ok, kids, you should get out. I have to deal with this and I don’t want you to hear it this way, ok?”

 

Armin stared at the radio before shifting his gaze to Steve. The gunshots and sirens were audible from the hospital parking lot.

 

“Armin, I’ll bring them to you. Please. Mikasa needs you too. It’s almost over.” Steve offered him a hand up. The blonde took it and climbed out before walking somewhat robotically towards the hospital building. Connie nodded at his father before guiding Sasha along after Armin.

 

“They were alive all this time,” Armin’s voice was a whisper. He went to wipe a tear from his face but caught sight of the dried blood on his hand and lowered it back down.

 

“Let’s meet the others, okay?” Connie put an arm around Sasha and an arm around Armin. “My dad will do everything he can. The hardest thing in the world is to let them do their jobs when it’s this close to home, but they’re the most qualified to help.You need to get cleaned up and get those cuts seen to. ”

 

Armin just kept nodding and doing what he was told.

  
Sasha had never in her life been more frightened than she was right now; the day the music died.

 

* * *

 

[American Pie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U) by Don McLean 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hurts me too. It really does. This fic was meant to be so happy go lucky and here we are.
> 
> I WILL rectify it. There will be some heartbreak first, but I will rectify it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of our adventures at The Hole In the Wall...
> 
>  
> 
> ...for now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want you all to know that this chapter hurt me every bit as much as it's going to hurt some of you and then some. <3
> 
> It gets better though, I promise. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this adventure. Song notes at the end for Eren's song. Trust me. Listen to it.

 

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _

 

Armin held his mother’s hand as she lay in her hospital bed. It wasn’t really a bed, more like a stretcher they’d moved to a quiet place. He’d waited all week anticipating the worst, but now with her here in this condition he found himself waiting all over again. They’d warned him; she was walking a knife edge between possible recovery with permanent paralysis from the waist down, and simply never waking up. She’d had a few moments of lucidity, waking up long enough to cry out his father’s name and his name before being sucked back into unconsciousness. He jumped every time wondering if this was it; if this would be their last moment together, but she always fell back to sleep. He’d washed her up and done her hair for her as she slept knowing full well that if she was at full health she’d be mortified by her appearance. 

 

Armin tried to coach himself in all the things he’d done his whole life; don’t let them see you cry, don’t talk about yourself, focus on the future, let them do the talking. All of that felt meaningless at the moment. The walls in this area were little more than curtains and three walls so that snippets of conversation, screams, and sobs were a shared experience. A priest had already been to visit them to administer last rites. Armin’s family wasn’t particularly religious, but he allowed the gesture because he knew it would be something his mother wanted. His father was announced DOA, having been hit by the car he’d been held captive in with his mother. He’d lept in front of it to try and buy time for his mother to escape, but it hadn’t worked out. The driver hit her too and shot her in what was evidently his version of mercy. His father died quickly, but his mother held on, occasionally squeezing Armin’s hand. He removed the guard rail and lay his head on the mattress next to hers and drifted off to sleep.

 

In the room next to theirs, Eren and Sasha were keeping Mikasa company. Mikasa was unconscious, but that didn’t stop them. Connie was running back and forth tirelessly to make sure that anyone who wanted snacks had them. At the moment, he was making a late night run to McDonalds because Eren complained that humans couldn’t survive on doritos alone. Connie disagreed, but Sasha wanted fries. Eren tried to strike up a conversation with the heart monitor, informing it that it wanted to keep going and that it was doing a good job. Eren babbled when he was terrified. When Sasha excused herself to go to the restroom, he cried. 

 

Jean was pacing around in the waiting area wanting to help, but not sure what to do. He occasionally checked in with Armin, but found him sleeping with a packet of vending machine cookies on his lap. Connie was also desperate to help, it seemed. Jean had never seen nor heard Eren cry, so he gave him space to express himself. Jean stole at glance at Mikasa. He still couldn’t believe she’d protected Sasha, or that Marco had protected them both. She’d even thrown him clear into cover; there was no doubt she’d saved Jean too. He’d expected the hero act from Marco to some degree; a bulletproof vest doesn’t mean you won’t get shot somewhere fatal, but it absolutely means a world of pain. And to be fair, Marco was always heroic. He’d always put others before himself and possessed absolutely no fear when it came to his work. He’d done everything he could. Jean decided to keep Armin company even though he was asleep. He didn’t know what he believed about life or the afterlife, but the feeling of this room was something sacred and holy that he’d not experienced before. What he did know was that Armin didn’t entertain thoughts of an afterlife, and had never expressed any particular religious belief. Jean didn’t know what to believe but watching Armin with his mother shifted something in him. He felt the pull of a page that wanted to turn; something around the edge of the room that wanted to burst or was desperate to show him something more. Something beyond the mundane. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he took a seat away from the two in the corner by the curtain. He began to nod off when he heard Eren singing quietly. His own heart nearly stopped. 

 

In the next room, Eren had situated himself closer to Mikasa. He’d been skirting the room for a while because he was afraid to approach the small figure on the bed too closely. They’d had to put a chest tube in to help her lung. Her breathing was till irregular, but her heart was steady. Eren wasn’t sure what to do, so he did the only thing he knew how to do when things reached the point of wordlessness: he sang. 

 

_ Maybe I didn't love you _

_ Quite as often as I could have _

_ And maybe I didn't treat you _

_ Quite as good as I should have _

_ If I made you feel second best _

_ Girl I'm sorry I was blind _

 

_ You were always on my mind _

_ You were always on my mind _

 

_ And maybe I didn't hold you _

_ All those lonely, lonely times _

_ And I guess I never told you _

_ I'm so happy that you're mine _

_ Little things I should have said and done _

_ I just never took the time _

 

_ But you were always on my mind _

_ You were always on my mind _

  
  


_ Tell me _

_ tell me that your sweet love hasn't died _

_ And give me _

_ Give me one more chance _

_ To keep you satisfied _

_ I'll keep you satisfied _

  
  


_ Little things I should have said and done _

_ I just never took the time _

 

_ But you were always on my mind _

_ You were always on my mind _

_ You were always on my mind _

  
  


The room grew quiet again. Sasha rejoined him and sat silently, letting him grieve. 

 

Armin stirred awake to the sound of Eren’s voice. He turned his head to the sound, unsure what was going on. Jean stayed silent in the corner, observing. Armin became aware of him and offered a weak little smile before turning back to his mother. 

 

She had opened her eyes halfway through Eren’s song. There’d been no outburst this time. She whispered to Armin, “hey. My baby is here. How are you doing sweety?” 

 

“Hey mom.” Armin’s lip quivered, but he kept his emotions in check. “I wasn’t hurt.”

 

“Good. I’m very sorry that I was,” She breathed. “Baby I think we’re going to have to part ways in the physical tonight. Are you ok?”

 

“Of course I’m not. But mom, I’ll be ok. You won’t have to worry about me.” Armin was being honest, but it felt like a lie when he said it. 

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll worry about you for eternity,” she closed her eyes. Armin watched her face to see if she’d fallen asleep. After a while she spoke again. “Arm, your father. He crossed over already.” 

 

“I know, mom. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that you had to witness that.”

  
“Now, Arm wait til I’m done talking. He crossed over and I watched him. His body was broken, Armin, and he still crawled the distance to hold my hand until he passed. I don’t believe he felt anything. It’s important that you know those things. He was brave, and you’re so fucking brave and you’re just like him. I’m so proud.” She choked on her own words and started crying, which caused the machines she was hooked to to react warningly. 

 

“Mom, don’t cry,” Armin said, crying. 

 

“Easier said than done, little bun. I mean, look at you.” She laughed a little and wiped one of his tears away with her thumb. He held her hand to his face and bit his lip. 

 

Jean couldn’t move. He could barely breathe. In the room next door, he heard a cacaphony of warning sounds from various machines. Eren shouted for a nurse, and Sasha ran by the room yelling for a doctor. 

 

_ Mikasa.  _

 

Armin, Jean, and his mother stared in the direction of Mikasa’s room. 

 

“Jean, what do we do?” Armin said.

 

“We can’t do anything. I mean. We pray, I guess.” 

 

“She’ll pull through, Armin.” His mother said. Then, “Oh. Michael you’re here.” 

 

Armin turned to look at his mother, who was staring at the empty space on the other side of her bed. 

 

“Dad isn’t here, mom. He died earlier tonight, remember?” Armin swallowed. Too much was happening at once. He knew what this meant. He knew her brain was shutting down. He didn’t want to believe it.

 

“How did we miss this with you, Armin,” she sighed. “Listen to me carefully. You’re so bright...very bright Armin but you don’t know everything. There’s so much in life that transcends our knowledge of it. You find it...you find it Armin. Find what you love and give your life to it. It is the only thing we carry with us when we go. You have your father’s courage but you sure as hell have something of mine in there too. I am never leaving you.” 

 

Armin was beyond tears, absorbing every word that she said despite the rage against his logical mind and engraving it upon his heart. “Ok, mom.” 

 

In the next room, Eren shouted “Goddammit! Mikasa you’re strong! You can pull through this don’t you dare give up! If there’s a god or a sentient rock or something, ANYTHING, please I’ll do anything!” Jean and Armin were too shocked to move. 

 

“Michael, why on earth did you bring the dog to the hospital?” She paused. “I’ll allow it because I love you, but we have work to do now. Gotta show our son how much we love him....get the dog off the table.”

 

Jean looked at Armin’s mother, who made direct eye contact with him and winked. Then she rolled her head away from them both to reach for the empty space beside the bed. Her arm dropped, and all of the machines she was hooked to screamed. At almost the same time, the machines in Mikasa’s room went quiet and returned to normal. 

 

Armin was too shocked to function. He stared at his mother, lifeless but smiling. He could only mouth the word “bye.” 

 

Jean choked out an “oh my God,” and wiped a tear from his eyes as nurses rushed past him to tend to Armin’s mother. Armin tried to wave them off, but he didn’t make the rules. 

 

“Mikasa?” Eren said from the next room. “Wow you scared the shit out of me. Like, if Levi were in here he’d agree that I nearly shit. What am I saying this is gross? Oh my god don’t ever do that again. What happened? No, don’t try to talk. Just shrug. Or nod. Or something.” 

 

Jean looked at Armin who was trying uselessly to argue with the nurses, and he peeked into the next room to see Eren and Sasha talking to Mikasa. She was awake. ‘ _ What the fuck just happened? I know what I THINK I saw just happen, but that can’t be a real thing _ .  _ Can it _ ?’ He thought.

 

* * *

 

 

“JEAN GET DOWN FROM THERE!!” Marco called up to Jean who was perched precariously on the higher branches of an oak tree.

  
  
“NOT UNTIL I HAVE DISCOVERED THE PERFECT TREE!” Jean called down. 

 

“Why can’t we just buy one?? There’s a tree farm right over there, I’m not even sure this is legal!” Armin called up.

 

“It isn’t, technically.” Marco sighed. 

 

It had been a month and a half since the shootout, and the Jaegerbombs were preparing for the holidays by searching for the ‘perfect’ Christmas tree. The funeral for Armin’s parents came and went, because it was fair to say fewer families had ever been more prepared for their own deaths than the funeral directors. For the meantime, Armin had taken over with his grandfather and they began building and training a new staff so that Armin was not required to give work his undivided attention in the future. Neither he nor Jean were able to explain what they had witnessed in the hospital, but it had brought them closer together. They never really used the word “dating” with each other, but everyone knew they were together by this point. Whatever they wanted to call it, Armin laughed a lot more often than he ever had before so it didn’t really matter. 

 

The more things changed in Sina, the more it all stayed the same. Marco made a full recovery and was honored for his bravery, but being Marco he didn’t give it much thought. Mikasa spent most of her time taking it easy and recovering, but she’d been able to go home after a week and a half in the hospital and had almost completely recovered for the holidays.

  
So, naturally, the Jaegerbombs were working on a new show. 

 

“Jean if you fall out of that tree and break your ass I’m gonna laugh at you BEFORE I call an ambulance. I just want you to know that.” Armin pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 

“It’s fine there’s already a crack in it!”

 

“Goddammit, Jean,” Marco grumbled and Jean shimmied his way down the tree without injury.

 

“The tree we need is this way,” Jean said as he led the way through the forest covered in freshly fallen snow. Marco and Armin exchanged glances before trudging after him. As they walked closer, they realized with no small degree of horror that Jean was referring to a tree that was easily fourteen feet high.

 

“No way, Jean,” Armin protested. “That’s WAY too big. We wouldn’t even be able to carry it out of here.” 

 

“Marco and I can carry it if you carry the saw.” Jean said.

 

“Wait, what? Jean how will we even get that on the truck?! That’s so dangerous I can’t even begin to explain it!” Marco shook his head.

 

“I brought rope. We’ll wrap it up and everything will be a-ok.” Jean swiped the saw from Marco and went about cutting it down.

 

“Why did Eren put him in charge of this?” Marco said.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? If you were Eren and you were out here, which tree would you pick?” Armin moved to make sure that when this tree came down, it wouldn’t come down on him. Marco did the same.    
  
“Good point,” Marco watched Jean saw the colossal tree trunk in half until it eventually came cracking down and into the snow. Two birds and a squirrel evacuated the tree in an explosion of feathers and fluff. 

“Hoo damn that’s an angry squirre---AHHH!” Jean ran from the squirrel who had turned its attentions on him and tried to climb up his clothes. 

 

“You know Jean, I think Mother Nature really hates you.” Armin mused.

 

“WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THAT?!?” Jean yelled, running in wide circles to outrun the rodent. “THAT WAS RHETORICAL BY THE WAY.” 

 

Marco sighed and pulled a bag of bird seed from his pocket and began sprinkling it over the ground. Eventually, the squirrel lost interest in pursuing Jean and began to eat the seeds. 

 

“So Armin I have a crazy question,” Jean asked as he collapsed cross-legged in the snow.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Say we CANNOT fit this tree on the roof. It occurs to me that one of us has access to a vehicle with a larger bed.” Jean grinned.

 

“Jean, no.” Armin’s mouth fell open a little.

 

“What, do you have a truck?” Marco was only paying half attention; the rest was focused on scrolling through his phone messages.    
  
“He’s asking if we can use a hearse,” Armin said flatly. “Jean I swear you are fixated on using hearses for everything but their intended uses. Leave it alone.” 

 

“Oh goddammit, Jean! Don’t tell me you….” 

 

Jean cut Marco off quickly. “Nope. Armin wouldn’t go for it. Something about keeping personal life out of work and respecting the dead.” 

 

Armin’s hid his red face in his scarf. 

 

“Jean you are a fucking twisted individual.” Marco couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure what I expected.”

 

“Be that as it may, can we use the hearse if we have to?” Jean began dragging the tree back to the exit. 

 

“I’ll think about it,” Armin said, taking the saw from Jean. 

 

“Connie says he has hot chocolate waiting for us at the house when we get back,” Marco said before pocketing his phone and helping Jean pull the tree. “I really should arrest you for this but I know you wouldn’t learn and you’d just try to steal my handcuffs.”

 

“And the key. That especially,” Jean said.

 

An hour later, Armin, Jean and Marco rolled up to Mikasa and Eren’s in a hearse that was stuffed full of 14 feet of spruce. Armin played holiday carols in the car because he knew there was no use fighting it. 

 

Connie opened the door and stared at them and blinked. He closed the door and opened it again. 

 

“Hey guys, our tree guys are back and I don’t think you want to miss what I’m seeing right now.” Connie called over his shoulder. Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Hanji, and Levi peeked around Connie and stared. 

 

“I know you want to ask, but don’t,” Armin said as he climbed out of the driver’s seat. 

 

“Most people just get one of those little pine scented tree shaped air fresheners, Armin. But I mean. That works, too.” Eren laughed and pushed his way outside to help them unpack the tree.

 

“Where the hell do they think they’re gonna put that?” Levi was incredulous.

 

“If they cut off some of the lowest branches and a section of the trunk, it’ll fit in the living room like we planned,” Mikasa said. “Plus we’d have some boughs leftover for garland.”

 

“I AM SO EXCITEEEDD!!!” Sasha ran around the house yelling. “Oh, guys the cookies are done!”

 

“I can’t believe you guys used tardis shaped cookie cutters,” Connie said as the tree brigade extracted the tree from the back of the hearse and started sawing off branches from the bottom. 

 

“Believe it,” Hanji stated. “It was only because my massive gingerbread man idea didn’t go over well for using too much dough.”

 

“I’m partially frozen so I’m gonna go get hot cocoa for you guys,” Armin said and escaped to the warmth of the house before Eren could start singing “Let It Go” again. 

 

Team tree dragged the behemoth of a tree through the door and slid it down the hallway to the living room, knocking pictures off the wall and dragging shoes along the floor. They at least had the good sense to put the stand on outside. Mikasa sighed and carefully replaced the pictures, still taking things slow. When the tree was up, Armin distributed hot chocolate as promised while Hanji got a fire going. 

 

“Are you all ready for your return concert on Christmas Eve?” Levi asked.

 

The room was quiet for a moment until Eren put a record on the turntable and the incomparable Nat King Cole’s voice began to fill the air. “Of course we are. We’re the Jaegerbombs”

 

“We’ll be ready for dancing again for the Mayday festival, but probably not before then,” Sasha said. Mikasa took a seat next to her cradling a mug of hot cocoa and a cookie. 

 

“We’ve written a lot of new material,” Jean said as he and Connie tangled with about fifty feet of twinkle lights. “It’s been a period of reflection during our down time, but I think we’ll be back stronger than ever.” 

 

“Oh, that’s what I meant to tell you,” Marco spoke up as he looked up from his phone. “Sash, a full review of the police department back home that gave you so much trouble turned up so much corruption that more than half of them were jailed. I got the news this morning. I don’t think that guy is going to bother you ever again.” 

 

“...really??” Sasha was so surprised she dropped her cookie into her hot cocoa.

 

“Yeah. I mean, you could probably go home if you wanted to,” Marco said. “I’m sure your father would like to see you.”

 

“I would like to see him. I’m just not sure that I’d call it home anymore. That’s so reassuring though, Marco. Thank you for telling me.” Sasha smiled as she retreated into her thoughts.

 

“We thought you might say that,” Armin said. 

 

“Yeah. We might have taken some liberties.” Connie grinned. Marco walked to the front door and opened it, and Annie and her father stepped in leading an older man wearing an old tweed suit jacket and a sprig of holly behind his ear. 

 

“Sasha?” 

 

“...Paw?” Sasha whipped her head around in disbelief. “Oh my god you guys...Paw!” Sasha launched herself off the couch and straight into his arms. Annie’s father tipped his hat and took his leave quietly. 

 

“I missed you so much, peanut,” Sasha’s father squeezed her tightly. Jean put his arm around Armin, who was pretending he wasn’t crying. “I want to meet all of your friends. I had no idea who was callin’ me and then one day this Leonhardt guy shows up on my porch saying who he was and next thing I know I’m on my way to see you for Christmas. ….this is a nice house!” 

 

“Thank you,” Mikasa smiled. 

“How long are you staying?” Sasha asked. 

 

“Well they’re putting me up here two weeks and I reckon I’ll go home and decide if I like it here enough to move.” He grinned. “And YOU must be Connie.”

 

“Yes sir, nice to meet you sir,” Connie offered a handshake, but was pulled into a bear hug. 

 

“Pleasure to meet you too, son. I’m Bernard by the way, but you can call me Paw. I can’t thank you enough. Any of you really. Which one’s Mikasa?” He looked around the room. Mikasa raised her hand and waved”

 

“Nice to meet you, Bernard,” Mikasa went to stand.

 

“No no, it’s fine please don’t get up.” Bernard crossed the room, removed his hat, and knelt in front of her. “Thank you for saving my daughter’s life. I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how to repay you. You’re too old for me to adopt you, but I would believe me. If there’s anything you need you just let me know. I’m handy around the house if you need anything. Really. Anything.” 

 

Mikasa wasn’t sure what to do. Eren nodded at her in support. She leaned forward and hugged Bernard. “You’re welcome. I did what anyone would have.” 

 

“Not in my world, they wouldn’t. Y’all are really special up here. I heard all about it. Levi, Marco...oh Armin I’m sorry for everything son... I figure I’m really missin’ out on important things by stayin’ in the south HOLY shit that tree is enormous!” 

 

Eren laughed. “Jean is always trying to outdo himself, or overcompensate..we’re not really sure which.” 

 

Jean narrowed his eyes at Eren. 

 

“Y’all gonna decorate that colossus?” Bernard was eyeing it with uncertainty. 

 

“Yeah, now that you’re here we can officially get started. Connie you’re trailing twinkle lights behind you.” Eren tilted his head. Connie closed his eyes in embarrassment and removed the tail of twinkle lights that stretched from him to the pile on the floor via beltloop.” 

  
  
  


The tree was decorated, the fire was burning, the snow was falling, and everyone settled back into the living room to bask in the glow of the season once they were full from dinner. 

 

“There’s just one other thing I’m wondering about,” Levi said. 

 

“What’s that?” Eren sat himself next to Mikasa, petting her hair absently. 

“Now that Erwin has offered you guys a contract, are you guys gonna sign?” Levi asked. 

 

Silence. 

 

“What do you think, Jaegerbombs? You’ve had a week to think about it,” Connie asked. “You don’t have to all do it if you don’t want to. Erwin was clear about that.”

 

“I’m in,” Sasha agreed immediately. “There’s no point in me going solo when I’ve got you guys.” 

 

“Of course I’m in,” Mikasa said. 

 

“Armin?” Jean nudged the blonde who was falling asleep nestled into the couch next to him.

 

“Hm? I’m fine, thank you.” Armin yawned.

 

“No, are you going to contract with the rest of us?” Jean asked.

 

“Are you?” Armin asked seriously. “My answer depends rather strongly on yours.”

 

“Yeah. I think I’m going to.” Jean nodded. 

 

“Then show me where to sign,” Armin shrugged. Eren exploded off of the couch and hugged him. “Whoah. Tell me how you really feel, Eren.”

 

“I thought you wouldn’t, and I wasn’t going to pressure you to. I wasn’t going to sign unless you did too. I know how long you’ve been wrestling with that decision..so...thank you for helping us make our dreams come true.” Eren smiled.

 

“I have dreams too, you corn chip. I thought we were all for one and one for all no matter what?” Armin squinted. “You really wouldn’t have signed a record contract if I wasn’t up for it??”

 

Eren pretended to ignore the last question.

 

“Fucking. Righteous. Alright, Connie. It’s official. The Jaegerbombs are ready to sign a record contract!” Eren started jumping around the room like a small child on his birthday. 

 

Connie grinned. “Alright. I’m with you guys all the way.” 

 

Eren put his hand in the center of the room (but close enough that Mikasa could reach it without getting up). “All for one?”   
  
The other Jaegerbombs (plus Connie) put their hands in together. “And one for all!” They threw their hands in the air. 

 

Hanji and Levi smiled. 

 

“Happy Holidays, you guys.” Levi raised his tea in salute. Nine cups raised their glasses in return.

 

“Happy Holidays.”

 

* * *

 

  
  


The end. 

  
_ Maybe. _

 

* * *

 

_[Always On My Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPYQ-FmQB4) by Willie Nelson _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws out hearts everywhere* 
> 
> Thank you so much for bearing with me. I know this was a little unconventional, but I value all of you dear readers. You have no idea how much. I'm sorry for any broken hearts, but stories of little miracles like this happen all the time. Always value the time you have and follow your passions.

**Author's Note:**

> >.>


End file.
